


First Contact

by Providence7979



Series: A New World [3]
Category: Terminator (Movies), Terminator: Dark Fate
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Graphic Depictions of Illness, Lesbian Sex, Light BDSM, Medical Procedures, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Terminator: Dark Fate - Freeform, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:47:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 130,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24856321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Providence7979/pseuds/Providence7979
Summary: Now, in the unknown of relative peace, the Resistance needs to find it's new place and purpose in the New World. As they morph what was once a deadly military operation into a humanitarian operation, can Dani's leadership guide them through the potential minefield of making contact with survivors outside of their own established Settlements? This new direction will test them all in ways they haven't been before as new Allies and new environments become deadly adversaries. As Dani and Grace's connection grows stronger with each new test thrown their way, they decide to take their relationship to the next level.
Relationships: Grace Harper & Dani Ramos, Grace Harper/Dani Ramos
Series: A New World [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1986139
Comments: 43
Kudos: 62





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a direct sequel to Grace’s Sacrifice. Some of the plot and characters won’t be familiar unless you’ve read that first. I hope you enjoy this continuation of Grace and Dani’s story.

Grace had taken six months leave after the Resistance had destroyed Legion. But with their travel restricted to Resistance ‘safe zones’ for now, they agreed after a couple months, that their time and skills would be better served going back and helping the Committee in their outreach efforts, trying to expand safe zones and make the Continent a little more connected and therefore less restrictive to travel through.

“I want to take you to the Yucatan one day” Dani had said wistfully one night. And Grace wished she could just make it happen, but the east coast of Mexico, most of Mexico in fact, was unknown territory for now, and therefore definitely not an approved travel destination yet. Especially if you happened to be the Commander, or ex-Commander.

Dani and Grace also recognised that as wonderful as their alone time had been, it would be verging on irresponsible not to be present to help humanity rebuild during such early stages of relative freedom from Legion.

They both knew that the Resistance and the Settlements would need to start reaching out beyond their current safe zones, trying to ensure that any pockets of humanity left around the continents were included in their endeavours if they wanted to be, and that they were given access to the abundant supplies the Resistance kept.

The Committee would need every hand on deck to ascertain whether or not new Settlements would be viable, and if so, begin the process of rebuilding and expanding the communities.

Dani and Grace slowly made their way back to the base and, despite the freedom and the solitude they’d revelled in over the last few months, it actually felt a lot like coming home for them both.

They had radioed Hadrell and signalled their intent to return early several days ago, and as soon as they arrived back at the base a little after midday, he met them and quickly apologised for what was to come as they found themselves immediately carried away in intense meetings and briefings, catching them up on what had been happening in their absence.

It was all a bit jarring for the two who had spent so much time away in relative peace, to suddenly be swallowed up again be the behemoth that was the Resistance. To suddenly feel pulled in multiple directions by the various needs and requests of the Committee members who collectively represented the five large settlements.

Dani took her seat at the Committee table and, despite having relinquished her title as Commander, she quickly discovered that it was still overwhelmingly rejected.

She wasn’t expected to lead the Resistance fighters anymore, but everyone on the Committee still viewed her as their leader and, despite all attempts to discourage it, nobody in any official position seemed comfortable calling her anything other than Commander.

So, grudgingly she accepted the title back, ensuring that Hadrell remained in charge of the military, and Evelyn remained in charge of engineering R&D.

She was happy to help guide the Committee, but she’d been at the head of the giant fighting machine known as the Resistance for half her life, and she had no desire to continue that role.

Grace declined the advancement in rank she was offered immediately upon her returned. She was happy with her Captain’s title, a title which would allow her field time and less desk duties she thought wryly.

After almost six hours of briefings and meeting, Grace flashed Dani a look, and Dani asked for an adjournment. Everyone eagerly agreed and the large room slowly cleared for the evening.

Dani and Grace made their way to the north tunnel. Still heavily guarded despite the tentative transition into peacetime.

Oatmeal was rolling around playfully near the elevator door as they approached, and Grace quickly scooped him up, kissed his furry head and nuzzled his soft belly until he batted her away. She carried him inside the elevator with them, happy to have seen him so soon upon their return.

She’d entrusted his care to the Barracks as a whole. And everyone assured her that he would be well fed and well cared for. _‘well fed indeed’_ she quipped as she felt the extra weight in her arms.

“So” Dani sighed heavily as the doors to the elevator closed.

“Yeah” Grace sighed equally as heavily, putting Oatmeal down and wrapping her arms around her partner “I’m proud of you Dani”

Dani smiled in confusion.

“For being okay with cutting our time away short. For coming back” she lent forward and kissed her gently “For not resisting their need for your leadership”

Dani groaned in mild frustration.

The doors to the quarters opened and Grace carried their heavy bags into the room. Dumping them of the floor and flopping onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Dani joined her, placing her head on Graces shoulder, enjoying the feel of her warmer taller partner gathering her close.

“I’m not sure what I expected” Dani said, the undercurrent of frustration still in her voice.

“You mean, after the war?”

Dani nodded.

Grace kissed the top of her head and sighed again.

“You’re not mad?” Dani asked quietly.

Grace tightened her arm around her smaller lover and smiled. “Not in any way Dani” she turned onto her side and propped her head on one hand.

“This is who you are, just as much as the military is who I am” she smiled and stroked Dani’s soft cheek. “You’re a born leader Dani, and as much as you might have wanted to hand everything over to the Committees once the war was over, everyone still looks to you for direction and leadership” she ducked her head and kissed her lover gently “like it or not, for the time being, you’re still the Commander”

Dani groaned and rolled her eyes, and Grace laughed and the unusual display of outward frustration which made Dani seem much less mature than she was.

She hugged Dani close and they lay together in comfortable silence. The trip back to the base had been long, and the Committee meeting had been even longer. Tentative plans to begin outreach missions and rebuilding operations would be waiting for them when they woke. But for now, as they settled into their familiar surroundings, they let exhaustion pull them toward sleep. Oatmeal purring happily as he curled up alongside Grace’s warm body which was wrapped up around Dani’s.

The Commander had returned, and the air around the base was abuzz with nervous excitement over what the upcoming days and weeks would hold.

Nobody could have predicted the events that were about to transpire, especially not the peacefully sleeping Commander and Captain, the two women who would soon be at the centre of an explosion of exploration, chaos, danger, life changing decisions, and of course, love.

***

Dani awoke to the gentle caress of Graces warm hand over her breast. She smiled and stretched, arching into her lovers’ hand.

“Good morning” Grace murmured from above her and Dani felt her dip her head to nuzzle her neck.

“Morning” Dani replied happily. She kept her eyes closed and let her lover explore. This was probably her favourite way to wake up, and she was in no hurry to begin the day.

Grace slid her body over Dani’s and continued nuzzling her partners neck, breathing in her scent, kissing the pulse point she loved so much, smiling as she felt it quicken.

Dani’s hands came around Grace’s strong shoulders, and she ran them down her smooth back and back up again. Her mouth opened in appreciation but no sound came out.

Grace moved her lips down Dani’s neck, to her collar bone, kissing and sucking gently, loving the way Dani’s sleepy body began to respond to her. She took one of Dani’s nipples into her mouth, and took her other breast in her warm hand, stroking the smooth flesh until both the nipple in her mouth and the one in between her fingers became firm and erect.

Grace smiled around the nipple in her mouth as she felt Dani’s back arch, and her breath hitch.

She moved silently down Dani’s smooth, firm stomach, nuzzling the soft flesh and placing a trail of kisses all the way down to her hip. She settled her body between her lover’s legs and kissed across Dani’s lower abdomen from one hipbone to the other.

Dani still had her eyes closed and had placed one hand softly on the crown of Grace’s head, the other she let rest on her own stomach, feeling the gentle flutter of muscle under her skin. One of Graces arms wrapped around her, to her stomach, and entwined their fingers together.

Grace dipped her head and kissed her lover’s outer lips, feeling Dani’s hips rise in invitation. She reached around Dani with her other arm and grasped Dani’s breast firmly, just as her tongue took its first stroke through her wet folds.

Dani moaned and tilted her pelvis. She squeezed Grace’s hand in hers as though it were an anchor point. The hand that had been resting gently on Grace’s head moved to join Grace’s other hand on her breast and she pressed it more firmly into her flesh.

Grace stroked Dani’s wet folds slowly and evenly. Kissing and licking gently, watching and feeling her lover become more aroused.

Dani’s breaths started to come out in sighs of pleasure and long moans of appreciation. Her stomach started to tighten, and her hips pushed into her lovers’ mouth.

Grace gave Dani’s wet lips one last long kiss before she latched onto her clit. Gently sucking it out from its hood and stroking it softly with her tongue.

“Grace” Dani sighed and arched her back, giving more of herself to her lover. She began to tremble and squeezed Graces hands under hers.

Grace applied firmer pressure on the bundle of nerves with her tongue and sucked just a little more firmly, and Dani’s legs began to shake.

Grace could feel Dani’s orgasm building underneath the soft flesh of her stomach. She took Dani’s nipple between her fingers and began rolling it, applying pressure firmly as she pulled.

“uuughhhh” Dani moaned, and her grip on both her lovers’ hands tightened, as her whole body began to coil.

Grace flattened her tongue and stroked Dani’s clit roughly, and within seconds Dani’s body almost completely arched off the bed as her release came.

Grace quickly climbed back up Dani’s body, bracing herself on her elbows and pinning her smaller lovers’ body to the bed. Dani’s arms wrapped around her lovers’ shoulders and her blunt nails dug into the soft flesh as her body rocked though the orgasm.

Grace kissed her pounding pulse point as she nuzzled into her flushed neck. She felt the body beneath hers clench and relax over an over until slowly Dani’s trembling legs relaxed and dropped bonelessly to the bed.

Grace smiled into her lovers’ neck and Dani hummed her appreciation.

She brought her head from its warm nook and brushed back Dani’s hair from her face.

Slowly Dani opened her eyes and smiled. Her gaze slightly unfocused, her cheeks flushed.

Grace dipped her head and captured Dan’s lips in a soft but passionate kiss.

Dani could only moan around her lovers’ lips and try to pull her body closer. Wrapping her fingers though Grace’s hair, keeping one hand firmly wrapped around her strong lovers back.

Grace reached down and slipped her fingers through Dani’s wet folds again and Dani’s hips rose up in invitation.

She pushed two fingers inside Dani’s tight warm centre and began stroking her. Watching her eyes flutter closed again, her head tilt back, and her mouth open silently.

Grace rocked her body in time with her fingers and Dani’s legs rose up and wrapped around Grace’s hips in silent encouragement.

Grace picked up her pace and Dani’s arms fell from Grace’s head and her back, reaching above her head to find some purchase as her legs clamped down tightly signalling her approaching orgasm.

“Grace” she breathed, throwing an arm over her face to muffle the almost constant moan coming from her mouth.

Grace bore down harder, and slipped a third finger inside her lover, and almost immediately Dani’s stomach tightened, and her breathing stopped.

A few more long strokes and Dani was again arching into her lovers’ long body as another orgasm washed through her.

Grace watched Dani in adoration. Placing gentle kisses along her exposed neck, her jaw, and eventually her lips as Dani came back down. Her body clenching through aftershocks but held firmly by Grace’s heavier, longer frame.

Again, Grace went to her favourite spot and nuzzled Dani’s tender pulse point. Feeling her lover settle she smiled into the soft skin at her lips and whispered “morning”

“mmmmm” Dani breathed quickly and smiled “morning”

They lay locked together for quiet minutes while Dani caught her breath.

“I don’t want to go up” Dani sighed holding Grace close. Knowing that the Committee would be ready to begin another gruelling day of meetings and briefings as soon as they emerged. 

“Me either” Grace whispered.

“But we have to, don’t we?” Dani asked quietly.

“Mmmm” Grace nodded, still placing gentle kisses along Dani’s neck and collarbone.

She pulled her lover from the bed and they got ready for the day by taking comfort in their tender ritual of washing each other.

Dani took a deep breath as she felt Grace’s slick, soapy arms wrap around her. She nodded silently, knowing that with all the experts she’d carefully surrounded herself with over the years, and more importantly, with Grace by her side, they would make this ‘new world’ work. 

“Let’s begin” Dani said with confidence. And Grace felt a nervous excitement start to build inside her.

***


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so the outreach mission begins.  
> This Chapter outlines how some of the major shifts in the Resistance begin. Details the logistics of the outreach missions. And details exactly what Dani hopes to accomplish in her attempts to find new human allies. And of course, some gratuitous hot and steam because who doesn't enjoy Dani and Grace getting it on?!

The next several days were spent in long conferences, trying to figure out how best to approach outreach missions, the scale of which would initially cover areas in North, Central, and South America which weren’t current Resistance territories.

Dani was already a skilled ambassador for the Resistance when it came to small introductory or rescue missions when they encountered groups of survivors in, or near, Resistance territories. People who likely knew who and what the Resistance was.

But it would be foolish to assume every group of survivors further away knew who the Resistance were. And it was entirely possible that there were communities as large as the Resistance was, who had been battling their own war, oblivious to the existence of the Resistance.

She didn’t want them to represent themselves as saviours to people who may not need nor want saving. But at the same time, she wanted it to be clear that Resistance resources were vast and their intentions were peaceful, to share intelligence and resources in an effort to reunite humanity, to rebuild and prosper again now that Legion had been destroyed.

Dani didn’t want their first contact with whatever remained of humanity to be a heavily militarised one, but she also acknowledged that the military had to be involved to ensure the safety of each expedition.

Evelyn offered an idea during their next meeting “We could do what NASA did in the 70’s?”

Dani’s brows furrowed.

Evelyn leant forward; excitement clear in her eyes.

“The Voyager mission sent a rocket into space with a time capsule containing sounds, music, imagery of life on Earth. The purpose being that should it encounter extra-terrestrial life eventually, there would be a record of humanity, of earth”

Grace frowned, not understanding the correlation, but Dani clapped her hands on the desk and smiled back at her friend.

“An invitation and a peace offering without actual physical contact to begin with” Dani said and smiled brightly.

Evelyn nodded quickly. “We could send out drones to try and identify possible communities living outside of Resistance areas, if we don’t want first contact to be militarised, we could air-drop an introduction of sorts!”

Grace finally understood and smiled at the idea. Hadrell, leaned back in his chair marvelling at his beautiful intelligent partner. His chest swelled with pride, and he found himself thanking his lucky stars that they’d somehow found each other.

***

As plans came into formation over the coming weeks, Dani caught wind of grumblings within the Settlements. People had been expressing concern to their leadership about a possible strain on their resources if they took more people in, that they didn’t have the room, that inviting strangers into their communities was asking for trouble.

The Settlements had become used to their way of life, used to knowing exactly what was expected of each area, and knowing that they received protection, food, shelter, medical care, and educations in return. They happily accepted small groups of newly rescued survivors into their communities, but the thought of possibly doubling or tripling their numbers had a lot of people on edge.

Dani groaned as she read each of the latest Settlement reports. Each one containing a variation of expressions of resistance from citizens toward welcoming large groups of strangers into their ranks. She rolled her shoulders and tried to release the tension that had built up in them

 _‘We are NOT going back to that again’_ She thought to herself angrily, remembering the xenophobia, the divide, the racial tension, the prejudice, and hatred that had existed amongst humans before Judgement Day. They had not just reached the end of a 20 year long war, only to start fighting amongst themselves.

At the moment it was just grumblings, but she knew that grumblings could become much more, and she needed to nip this in the bud before it became a real issue.

She spent the next few hours surrounded by old books in the base library, a place she hadn’t visited for years. She quietly went about her work, researching political engagement, civil unrest, going over past speeches, policies and legislation that previous world leaders had used to quell a population, often finding that it was less often the politicians, and more often the social activists that spearheaded change. So she knew she’d need to approach this issue less like the Commander, and more like a member of the communities these people were a part of.

She jotted down notes and over a few hours pulled her work together, and sent off a briefing to each Committee member. She waited a few hours and worked though some immediate committee feedback, but all in all, everyone was on board.

So she went back to her office, took a deep breath and flicked on the Resistance wide broadcasting network, remembering the last time she had used it was to declare an end to the war with Legion.

This time was perhaps even more important.

_“Citizens of the Resistance, I speak to you today not just as the Commander, but as Dani Ramos, a member of your community, as somebody who, like all of you, lost everything to Legion, was once made homeless by Legion, but eventually, like you, made a place for myself within our community._

_As you know, since the war ended, our efforts have turned toward rebuilding and expanding our communities. A part of that will be to reach out to those pockets of humanity who have thus far lived and survived on the outside._

_I need each and every one of you to remember what it was like when you lived on the outside, and what living within has meant to you and your families._

_I want to make myself clear._

_We may have defeated Legion. But we are not and empire, we are not conquerors or colonisers, and we are not better than, simply because we survived with full bellies and shelter over our heads._

_We have existed as a single community for over 20 years because we put our differences aside and focused on a common enemy._

_We defeated Legion by working together. And I expect us to continue working together as we try to rebuild some of what we used to have._

_I want those of you old enough to remember the time before Legion. How we used to treat those that were outsiders, those who were considered different or less than._

_I want you to think about how all of that disappeared the day Legion struck. I want you to share your stories with the younger generation. With your children, your nieces and nephews or your grandchildren._

_I want you to remember that on Judgment Day, it suddenly didn’t matter where anyone came from. It only mattered that we were human, that we saw our similarities, saw our shared desire to survive, and recognised that we needed each other to do so._

_We banded together, and we survived. We MORE than survived._

_So. When, and I say when, not if, because this is an inevitable._

_When we start welcoming new citizens into our communities, I need you to remember your own welcoming into your community._

_Every single person that exists here, does so with a specific purpose. And that will not change._

_There will be no strain on resources, no lack of space, no lack of beds or food or medicine. Because I assure you, each new pocket of humanity who joins us will bring with them a new array of skills and knowledge, an extra set of hands to help with farming or manufacturing, possibly even new technology, and certainly new agricultural grounds to grow new produce, more land on which our species can prosper._

_These are people who have also survived a decades long battle. But they did it without the resources we had. And personally, I believe that makes their stories even more incredible._

_For over two decades, our lives have been one of fighting back, of resisting._

_But from today, as the Commander, as a Committee member, and importantly as a member of your communities, I ask that we shift into a new mindset. Not one of resisting, but on of prosperity for all._

_I will be putting forward a vote to abandon our collective title of the Resistance, and I will ask each and every one of you to embrace a new collective name._

_One that means to prosper, to succeed, to move forward, to progress._

_I would like to propose a change of our collective title to “Prosperitas”_

_I will put this to a vote immediately via the Committee, and I hope that each and every one of you will make your vote count, and I hope each and every one of you can actively participate in discussions around this change._

_Not just the change in our name, but the change in our new mission as a collective._

_Each and every one of you is a survivor, a fighter, a contributor. We would never have won this war without the efforts each of you made toward the battle against Legion. But I now ask all of you to add another responsibility to your roles here, one of being ambassadors for your communities.”_

She took a pause

_“I would also like to propose a second change, one which I hope you will embrace as strongly as the first._

_We have never had a unifying symbol to stand under, so I ask you all now to think about what prosperity means to you, what acceptance, and forward movement looks like to your community._

_I call on each Settlement to submit suggestions to the Committee for a new flag under which our pocket of humanity can stand. Not as a nation, or a state, or a territory, but as a community which has become a family._

_I’d like us all to unite under a new name and under a new flag with the same dedication you all united under me during the era of the Resistance._

_Thank you again, for everything you’ve endured and contributed._

_Thank you for your faith in me, and for your faith in our movement._

_I ask you to continue to keep that faith as we transition into humanities next phase. As we start to build a new world._

_There will be a Settlement wide distribution of material on this transition sent out in the coming days via your Settlement leadership, I hope you take the time to go over the material and understand our broader objective._

_I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together during this transition into peace.”_

She flicked the radio off and sat back heavily in her chair.

Dani had never really taken full advantage of her role as Commander with the Settlements. Preferring instead to let the Committee govern. But this was especially important. They were starting with a clean slate as a species, and the last thing she wanted was for discontent and a “us vs them” mentality to breed. Better to cut it off at it’s legs before it got a chance to take hold. And hopefully her speech, and the proceeding action from the Committee would do that.

There was a quiet knock at her door, and she called out “come in”

Grace entered and Dani could tell that she’d been crying. Her crystal eyes, even more blue in contrast to the red around them.

She stood and immediately embraced her tall partner.

“That was” Grace shook her head “Dani” she leant down and captured her lips gently, puling back and looking Dani in the eyes. “You are incredible do you know that”

Dani tried to duck her head and pull away, but Grace held it firmly between her hands. Not letting Dani off easily.

“Dani, I’m serious. Changing our name” her eyes shone brightly “It’s beautiful” she kissed her partner again. “You have always been the leadership we’ve needed, and nothing proved that more than today” she said through a teary smile. “I know the Settlements will have heard you, and I know they’ll follow you” she kissed her again “And what you said, was perfect” she paused “absolutely perfect”

Dani drew Grace in close and rest her head against her chest. Graces steady heartbeat always soothed her, and now was no different. She breathed in her scent and ran her hands along her strong back. Letting everything familiar about the woman in her arms keep her planted firm, steady and strong.

“Thank you” she whispered sincerely.

Grace kissed the top of her head and held Dani silently for long moments, her heart full of pride and love for the woman in her arms. 

***

Over the course of the next few weeks the Resistance became Prosperitas, and they flew under a new flag. A simple design which had been submitted by the Texas settlement. A simple black background, with a monochrome grey, black and white sphere at the centre, representing the Earth, but without any traditional land markings, no countries or borders, no continents, just a planet, and above and to the right of that, the yellow sun, and below and to the left, the moon, white and silver in the shadows. The committee had the flag produced for every Settlement to fly, and a patch or pin made for each member of any official capacity, Committee members, and military personnel to wear.

Under Hadrell’s command, the military coordinated several dozen drone reconnaissance missions to locate large human communities outside of Prosperitas areas.

The drones eventually picked up a dozen or so settlements large enough for their IR to register. Three in Canada, three in Mexico, one each in South Dakota, Peru, Guatemala, Cuba, Argentina, Brazil, and one in Hawaii.

They limited the initial outreach search to North, Central, and South America as logistically they were the easiest to surveill, and should contact be made, they’d be much easier to physically reach that further abroad. More importantly, if the outreach was a success, these areas would be the first trial of setting up possible new trade routes and having them on the same land mass or not too far off would make the logistics of that much easier.

Now that they’d identified possible communities to communicate with, it was up to the Committee to try and agree on what their air-drop “introduction” packages should contain.

The idea was to show each new potential ally what Prosperitas had to offer them without showing their hand in terms of production scale or the entire variety of goods they had.

Non-perishable food of course was first on the list, an array of dehydrated meats and canned produce, plus an assortment of grains: wheat, corn, and soy. Perhaps a range of medicines as well, simple antibiotics and painkillers to start with, plus fully stocked first aid kits with dressings, thermal blankets, antibacterial washes and simple surgical field kits. Textiles for clothing or bedding. And perhaps basic hand tools and building equipment. Rope, tarps, sleeping bags, sheets of aluminium and steel. Several small portable solar panels, which the military frequently used to recharge devices while out on missions, flashlights, and a modified HAM radio which they could use to signal their response if they chose to. The Committee would set up a designated radio frequency for the Prosperitas outreach project and would ensure it was manned 24/7 once the first flight took off. 

Evelyn initially joked that wine and chocolate were always a good addition to any gift; then realising the truth of it, the committee added those items too.

They went through several iterations of what the package should include but the one thing everyone agreed on was that it needed to contain a briefing about who they were, how they’d survived the last twenty years, and what their intent was now.

An introduction and an invitation to Prosperitas.

Everyone at the meeting looked to Dani for this. And Dani held her hands up, shaking her head.

“Dani, it has to be you” Evelyn said calmly.

“I can’t represent us all” Dani threw up her hands again, uncomfortable with the idea they were proposing.

“Dani” Grace lent in “You DO represent us all” she smiled with a raised eyebrow.

Dani sighed and put her head in her hands, nodding gently “okay” she said in a somewhat defeated tone.

Not knowing the technological capacity of any of the communities, they decided that both a video on a data drive and a hard copy version of the invitation would be sent. They asked Evelyn to create a French translation for the Canadian communities, Dani made a Spanish translation for the Mexican and South American communities. Torez put her hand up for the Portuguese translation for the Brazil drop, having lived there until a few years before Judgement Day.

The invitation included a brief introduction to Dani, who she was, and what Prosperitas was. How they’d survived the war with Legion by working cooperatively as a network to provide each other food, medical aid, and military protection, she invited each community to consider joining their network as allies if they wished to, and stressed the importance that this was a peaceful outreach. She made sure to mention the existence of hospitals, schools, engineering facilities, and farms without providing specific details or any imagery of any sort.

She stressed that as this was a peaceful outreach, there would be no forced second contact if the community chose not to reply. However, if they did, there would be no expectation for immediate trade agreements or bargaining of any sort. She simply wanted to extend a hand in friendship and invite the communities to meet with them, at a place of their choosing.

She reiterated that while Prosperitas was a civilian and military cooperative, this invitation, if accepted was not to be heavily militarised by either side. Prosperitas would send a delegation consisting of up to three Committee members and two military personnel as escorts. The expectation was similar meeting of numbers on their side.

She did however mention, again without specifics, their military’s capacity to counter any hostile escalation should one arise with malice intent. She felt it was sufficient for them to know that their technology and military capability was advanced enough to have defeated Legion. And that that alone would give any strangers an idea of their ability to fight off any attempt at hostilities without her having to specifically state it.

She purposely left out any information about specific locations and numbers of citizens in Prosperitas, eluding however to there being “thousands” of citizens spread across the majority of the North American continent in “various” self-contained settlements.

While their intention was a humanitarian on, she had learned a long time ago, that she could never be sure of the intentions of strangers, so the less specific information she gave away, the less she would be putting her people at risk should one of their air-drops be met with a hostile response. 

Within two weeks they had all thirteen airdrop packages loaded and ready to deliver.

***

Two days after finalising the air drop plans, Captain Harper and three other Captains boarded large C5 Aircrafts carrying the Prosperitas packages.

Grace's craft would take four packages, three for the communities in Mexico and one for Hawaii, while the other three took the rest.

Because of the fuel consumption of the large carriers, smaller refuelling crafts would be periodically deployed from each Settlement to assist in the effort, ensuring that none of the large C5’s had to return until all the air-drops were complete.

Grace’s mission took over two days of non-stop flying to complete. She would first locate the community using the GPS coordinates provided by the surveillance drone, then she would take at least one or two lower passes to try and identify it visually. She would then take into account weather conditions especially wind direction before descending to a safe altitude and getting the crew to deploy the package so that it landed within a safe distance of, and not directly on-top of, the communities.

Each C5 had been fitted with old pre-war military technology called (JPADS) Joint Precision Airdrop System. It was GPS based tech which allowed the pilot to essentially steer the airdrop to its destination. Grace of course revelled in the new-old tech and viewed each drop as a mini computer game, trying to land the package within 100 feet of the visibly identifiable edge of the community.

The package itself contained a loud, repetitive beacon, and a solar powered illuminated light stick which stood 6 feet on-top of the already six-foot shock proof container. If the settlements somehow weren’t alerted by the loud roar of the carrier’s engines, they would eventually be alerted to the package by the other two identifiers. 

Once the drop was completed, she’d ascent the craft and head to the next GPS coordinate.

After two solid days of travel and precision airdrops, Grace returned late in the afternoon to the Arizona base and was never more happy to see Dani waiting on the tarmac for her.

She landed the craft with ease, docked the plane and practically trotted from the pilots’ seat, through the cargo hold, and onto the tarmac. Scooping her partner up in a bone crushing hug.

“Missed me hey?” Dani said with a smile in her voice.

“You have no idea” Grace said softly back. “Anyone else returned?”

Danni nodded “Everyone except the South America flight”

“Any signals yet?” Grace asked hopefully.

Dani shook her head “It’s still early” she smiled “If it were me, I’d be taking some time to think it over too” she pulled her compliant partner along behind her, explaining that her debrief could wait until the morning.

Dani could see that Grace was tired. The hyper-vigilant soldier in her probably hadn’t allowed herself any sleep until the mission was finished which meant that it was Dani’s turn to make sure she was looked after now.

She took them down through the north tunnel and into their quarters. She’d asked Bruce to put together a platter of fresh roasted meat, steamed fresh vegetables, potato salad, and a side of chocolate pudding for the crew of each of the crafts and the refuelling teams. She’d had Grace’s serve delivered to their quarters and as soon as Grace walked into the space and smelt the delicious aromas she groaned in pleasure and let her nose lead her to the table. 

“Oh my God Dani!” She exclaimed after shoving a fork-full of food into her mouth. “Field rations for two days make you realise how good we actually have it here”

Dani laughed at her partners enthusiasm and tucked into her serve. Dani asking her enthusiastic partner questions about the trip.

“I never had any real concept of how spread out we all are” she swallowed her mouthful. “Mexico alone took me over a full day just getting to each of the three sites. I had no idea it was so big, so diverse in its landscape! And the trip to Hawaii” her eyes widened in wonder. “I can honestly say that I’ve never seen that much ocean before! It looked stunning from the air” she sat back in her seat with a wistful look in her eyes. “I think I’d like to be on the team that goes there if there’s a mission, and definitely Mexico too, if they reply” she looked sweetly at Dani “maybe you can show me your home? Maybe take me to the Yucatan like you said?”

Dani smiled widely. Grace had a way of taking in everything and seeing the beauty of it. Especially things she’d never seen before. It melted Dani’s heart to see her partner so excited about the prospect of new discoveries.

“We’ll see mi amor” she said with enjoyment in her voice. She stood and took Graces hand and led her to the shower “but for now, let’s just get you smelling better shall we?” She laughed at Graces offended expression.

Dani pulled off Graces flight suit and removed her under layer before quickly shucking her own clothes. They stepped into the shower together and performed their almost daily ritual of washing each other down. For Grace it was a chance to appreciate her lovers’ body, and it never failed to turn her on. For Dani, it was partly that, but also a way for her to be comforted by Grace’s presence, to be reassured that she was healthy and whole, and with her.

Despite surviving their war with Legion, and despite having kept her promise not to let Grace die for her. Her tall protector had in fact died several times over during the course of the war and Dani could never seem to shake the tendril of fear that crept inside her each time Grace left on a mission. So their shower ritual was a way to push back that unwelcome fear and bring herself back to the moment, to appreciate her partners presence with her.

Grace felt Dani wrap herself around her from behind and place small kisses between her shoulder blades. She snaked her arms around her waist and ran her hands along Graces stomach, along her ribcage, to her breasts and back down to her hips.

Grace wanted Dani, but she also knew Dani’s need to simply touch her after an absence, so she stood still and let Dani’s hands wander.

Dani felt the hitch in Graces breathing and smiled into the strong back against her lips. She turned the water off and towelled off her tall lover before quickly drying herself.

Grace saw the intent in Dani’s eyes and she immediately felt the heat curl low in her belly. She picked her lover up and Dani immediately wrapped he legs around Graces hips. Grace pushed them against the wall and kissed Dani deeply, trying to catch up the lost days of contact. She moaned when Dani’s hands grabbed her hair and puled her head back, exposing her neck to Dani’s hungry mouth.

“I missed you” Grace breathed.

“I missed you too Grace” Dani said while placing kisses along Graces long neck until she reached a sensitive spot and gently sunk her teeth in.

“Dani” Grace moaned, and her hips pushed forward into Dani’s warm centre.

“Bed” Dani ordered, and Grace quickly moved them the short distance the large bed.

Grace gently lay Dani down on the bed and went to climb on top of her, but Dani used her strong legs to unbalance her tall lover and managed to switch places.

Grace smiled at Dani’s quick manoeuvre, both of them knowing that Grace had allowed it.

Dani kissed her way up Graces torso, as she wrapped her lips around one firm nipple she pulled Graces hands above her head, drew the concealed straps from behind the headboard and expertly tied off the first and then second of her lovers strong arms. Grace smiled at the unexpected turn of play.

They both understood that should she want to, Grace could easily snap the bindings, but in all the times they’d played like this, the closest Grace had ever come to trying to break free was that first time in the old abandoned research facility. Since then, Grace had managed to allow herself to surrender to Dani’s desire to dominate her without letting fear, or her augments, take control.

Grace arched into her lover above her as Dani bit down gently on her nipple.

Dani pulled a soft piece of cloth from behind her and tied it over Graces eyes. Blindfolding her lover as she moved her attention to the other neglected nipple and paid it the same attention. Grace opened her mouth in silent appreciation.

She slid down her lovers long firm body, taking a moment to appreciate again, just how beautiful Grace’s strong, sleek, body was. How beautiful she looked tied up and at her mercy. A jolt of arousal washed through her so powerful she had to catch her breath, she needed some release if she was going to have any chance of playing out her game with Grace. She thought through her options and decided to stick with the theme she had chosen. To overwhelm Grace with tactile sensations without the use of her eyes or arms.

She turned herself around and slowly brought her centre closer to Grace’s mouth. “Suck” She commanded and let herself connect with her lovers eager lips. At first contact, Dani’s head dropped onto Grace’s abdomen and she revelled at the feeling of the muscles underneath her warm skin moving, trying to get more contact.

Grace licked and sucked on Dani’s soft lips like her life depended on it. She caught hold of Dani’s clit momentarily and flicked it which caused Dani’s hips to twitch and she lost it again.

Dani tilted her pelvis to give Grace easier access to her clit and was rewarded when she pulled it into her mouth and stroked it roughly with her tongue.

“Uunnghhh” Dani moaned incoherently as her legs began to tremble.

Grace pulled hard on the small bundle of nerves and flicked it roughly again, knowing Dani was close. It took mere seconds for Dani to signal her impending release with a low moan, another two firm swipes of her tongue and Dani lurched off her mouth and into an orgasm.

Grace panted, desperately needing more contact with her lover, she could hear Dani’s soft pleasure filled gasps as she rode out her orgasm, and she knew what Dani’s body looked like when she made those sounds, but not being able to see or feel her was maddening. She could tell she was still on all fours, above her, but she was being careful to limit the amount of skin to skin contact she made.

“Dani” Grace groaned and tried to arch upward. The arm restrains holding her back.

“Shhh” Dani turned back around and draped her whole body over Graces and her tall lover let out a sigh of appreciation. She pulled Grace’s lips into a deep kiss and didn’t stop until Grace was moaning and her hips pushed up against her.

Dani smiled, pulled away and stood at the end of the bed. Drawing one of Graces powerful legs toward the edge where she strapped it down. She did the same to the other and soon Grace was spread wide across all four corners of the large bed.

Her stomach taught, her chest rising in shallow breaths. Dani loved Grace for playing with her like this. She knew it would take very little effort for her to pull free of her bindings. But she lay there, vulnerable, open, and virtually defenceless, waiting for Dani to play out her fantasy.

“So” Dani said quietly “I took another trip to that adult store”

Grace groaned, remembering the last toy Dani had procured for the old abandoned store.

“And I picked up a few new things I thought you might enjoy”

“Dani” Grace drew out her name.

“Soon love” Dani said with a smile.

She pulled out the nipple clamps and climbed back onto the bed. Trailing a single finger along Graces quivering abdomen to her chest. She bent down and sucked a nipple into her mouth, letting it go and quickly securing the clamp over the nub.

Grace gasped and her hips rose. Dani smiled.

She repeated the process with the second clamp, and Grace groaned.

Dani pulled on the chain between the clamps and Grace turned her head into her raised arm and tried to drown her gasp of pleasure.

She again kissed her way back down Graces body, avoiding any contact with Grace’s neglected centre.

She pulled out her latest procurements and put them on the bed.

“So, turns out that since we do have electricity, our choice of toys virtually doubled” she said smoothly, and pushed the button on the newest toy.

Grace herd a low electric hum, something similar to an electric razor, and she frowned in confusion. She trusted Dani absolutely, so she didn’t say anything, waiting for whatever the new toy was to touch her body in some way. 

She was almost 15 when Judgement Day happened, and 17 when she was rescued by Dani. Back then she and had yet to experience her first sexual encounter, much less explore sex play with toys. She had no sexual association for that low electrical hum. But that was definitely about to change.

Dani both adored and wondered at her lover’s inexperience when it came to sex toys. It made her want to fuck Grace in every way imaginable every night. To walk her through the pleasure each new toy could bring to their sex play. So, when the opportunity arose for her to procure a new item, she would take considerable time to mull over exactly how she wanted to use it on her gorgeous lover.

“I’m going to make you come so hard tonight” Dani whispered, and Grace’s legs began to tremble in anticipation.

Dani decided to forgo any gentle introduction to the toy and placed it quickly and firmly over Graces clit.

“uuughhhhhh!” Grace almost shot off the bed, but let the restraints keep her in place.

Whatever Dani had just put on her was gently pulling on her clit and simultaneously sending vibrations through it.

Once the vibrator was in place, Dani straddled her lovers’ stomach and rocked gently against the firm quivering muscles. She grabbed onto the chain between the nipple clamps and pulled with each thrust of her hips.

Grace’s mouth fell open in a silent moan as her first orgasm unexpectedly washed over her, but the toy remained in place, and Dani’s hot wet centre against her skin and the sensations coming from her clit and her nipples soon sent her tipping over the edge into a second.

She panted through the muscle contractions but didn’t want the sensation to stop, nor did Dani by the feel of it as she pulled harder on the chain. Grace could feel Dani’s free hand come down to touch herself. The image of Dani with her hand between her legs, the hot pain-pleasure emanating from her nipples, and the waves of vibration directed at her clit tipped her into a third orgasm and she accidentally broke one of her leg straps as her body tried to surge off the bed.

Dani reached back and puled the suction vibrator off Grace. But watching her reaction to the toy had sent her closer to her own orgasm, she quickly rubbed her clit as she felt Graces strong stomach muscles contract through the orgasm and within moments she fell forward, bracing herself on Graces shoulders as her body shook through her own.

The room was soon filled with the sounds of their heavy breathing. Graces hitching every so often as an aftershock swept through her.

Dani looked down at her lover. Sweaty and red faced. She pulled the blindfold away and the look in her eyes took her breath away.

“Dani” Grace panted. Wide eyed and almost delirious.

Dani captured her lips and smiled around the kiss. It gave her so much pleasure to watch Grace surrender to her, to watch her body tremble in the pleasure she gave it.

“We aren’t finished yet mi amor” Dani teased and nipped at Grace’s strong pulse point. Grace gasped and moaned. Her body felt overly sensitised and she wasn’t sure how much more stimulation she could handle. But just the way Dani spoke into her ear made her stomach tighten in arousal again.

Dani wrapped the blindfold back over Grace’s eyes, removed the nipple clamps, and slid back down her lovers now very sweaty body and kissed her trembling thighs. She released the undamaged leg restraint, letting both her legs free.

She gently lifted Graces legs so that her feet were planted wide on the mattress.

Grace was already breathing heavily again and Dani watched her for a moment. Never being able to take her lover in too many times.

She reached for the second new toy and applied a liberal amount of lubricant to it.

“you remember our safe word?” she asked gently and Grace nodded. “You trust me?” and Grace nodded again. ”I need you to breath through this, and I promise you it will be like nothing you’ve ever felt before” Grace tilted her head back and breathed deeply in anticipation.

Dani positioned herself between Grace’s legs and pushed back on her knees, making her pelvis tilt further.

“Dani! I don’t …” Grace immediately jerked and tried to pull back as she felt pressure against her anus, but as the toy slipped inside, her head dropped back to the mattress and she moaned at the sensation it had created.

“Dani” Grace panted. Her body warring with her mind. She’d never had anyone do anything like this to her before, and her instinct was to pull away, but the pleasure it created, and the promise of what lay ahead made her bite her tongue against the use of their safe word.

Dani watched Grace war with herself and as she saw Grace’s jaw relax, she slipped another bead inside her lover and Grace pushed into the pleasure.

By the third bead Grace’s whole body was trembling, but the momentary jolt of pleasure each bead created wasn’t enough to push her over the edge.

“more” she moaned.

And Dani stopped. “you don’t tell me what you need” she said seriously.

Grace nodded and Dani pulled firmly on the beads, letting them slide out quickly, setting off enough nerve endings all at once to throw Grace into a completely different type of orgasm.

“uuugghhhhh Dani” Grace yelled almost incoherently, her body arching in pleasure for long moments until she was left trembling and breathless.

Dani quickly repositioned Graces legs and inserted the beads again, this time all five that were attached the toy.

Grace gasped at the sensations but once Dani had stopped she only felt a slight fullness insider her. She brought her breathing back under control and waited for Dani to pull them out again.

Instead she felt the delicious pressure of one of their dildos sliding inside of her wet centre. The shorter ribbed on by the feel of it, although Grace could barely tell where any sensation was coming from anymore.

Dani pumped the toy quickly inside her lover and watched her back arch as her inner walls clamped down hard and another orgasm rocked through her body. But Dani didn’t stop, Grace’s overstimulated body tried to simultaneously get more pleasure, and pull away from the stimulation.

“Dani” grace panted “Dani” she was hyperventilating and her ears started to ring as she felt yet another orgasm start to build.

“uuughhh” Grace moaned incoherently with each thrust of the toy.

As soon as Dani saw Grace’s stomach begin to tighten again, signalling her impending orgasm, she pulled on the beads and let one slip out. The sensation catapulting Grace into another powerful full body orgasm, and as Grace arched off the bed, Dani pulled the remaining beads evenly out of her lover, multiplying the powerful contractions and tipping her into another before the last had finished washing through her.

Dani stilled the dildo inside her lover and pulled herself fully on-top of her trembling body. She released the arm restraints and Grace’s arms dropped bonelessly to the mattress. She pulled off the blind fold, and Grace’s eyes were closed in pleasure as her inner walls continued to squeeze around the toy inside her.

Dani lay her head against Grace’s chest and revelled in the sound of her hammering heart and the ripple of every muscle contraction she felt. She gently stroked the sides of her partners’ long body, from the top of her ribcage, along the edge of her waist, down her hips, and as far down her equally boneless legs as she could reach, before sliding her hands back up and repeating the process.

Grace’s heart hammered beneath her ear, and she was still trying to catch her breath. But as the trembling eased Dani picked her head back up and smiled lovingly into Graces now glassy eyes, her mouth still open in silent pleasure as the last of the aftershocks washed through her.

Dani placed gentle kisses along Graces collar bones, one of the hundreds of places she adored on her lovers’ body.

Eventually Grace was able to command her arms to move and they wrapped around Dani, holding her tight.

They lay like that in silence for long minutes before Grace finally spoke.

“cake” she croaked out, her throat rough and sore from the sounds she hadn’t realised she’d been making.

Dani laughed out loud and Grace joined her but cringed as her body protested.

Dani kissed Grace again, slowly and deeply. A kiss that said thank you for the trust, said, I adore you with each brush of her lips.

“Stay here” Dani said, gently pulling the toy from her sated lover, scooping the beads up and went to the bathroom to clean them.

She came back carrying the now clean toys and a glass of water which Grace took with a shaking hand, while Dani put the toys into the small black bag in her footlocker.

Dani smiled at her still shaky lover and got back into bed with her.

“I feel like my brain blew a fuse Dani” Grace said seriously and Dani laughed, cupping her sweaty face between her hands and kissing her deeply again.

She took the empty glass from her lover and placed it on the bedside table. Urging her to lay back she scooted close and rest her head in the crook of Grace’s shoulder. She traced gentle patterns along Graces long torso. Loving the feel of the soft warm skin, and the hard muscle laying just underneath.

Eventually Grace took a full, deep breath and let it out. A sign that her body had finally let go of any tension and was fully relaxed.

Dani reached back and turned off the light. Wrapping her arm around her lovers’ waist and throwing a leg over one of Grace’s legs. She nuzzled into her lover and sighed in contentment.

“Dani?” Grace asked into the darkness.

“hmmm” Dani answered sleepily.

“We’re going to need a bigger bag?”

Dani could hear the smile in her gravely voice and hugged her tighter.

“Si, mi amor” She laughed into her partners shoulder, placing a gentle kiss on the soft skin closest to her lips.

Grace was quick to drift off into sleep. Dani listened to her deep even breaths and again sent a silent thank you to the heavens for the woman in her arms.

****

Dani and Grace woke very early and very suddenly to the buzzing of Dani’s internal comms device. She fumbled for it, cursing whoever decided to call so early. She picked it up and answered, saying she’d be there in fifteen before ending the call.

“Who the fuck was that” Grace groaned into her pillow

“Hadrell” Dani said. Excitement clear in her voice.

Grace turned herself around and looked expectantly up at her partner.

“We made first contact!” She grinned and kissed her stunned lover before dragging them both back to the shower to get ready for the preparation of the first of what she hoped to be many Prosperitas outreach projects.

“Who was it” Grace asked excitedly as she quickly washed off and dried.

“Hawaii” Dani said quickly, and she laughed as Grace’s face beamed in excitement at the prospect of actually going to the Big Island.

That was of course, if their first contact was friendly and open to the invitation. She hoped so. She thought about the beauty of the island she had seen from the air and could only imagine how amplified that might be up close and on land.

They dressed quickly and made their way to the briefing room.

****


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is mostly indulgent hot and steamy fun.  
> But there is SOME plot progression.

Dani and Grace entered the conference room and Hadrell and Evelyn were already waiting.

“They made contact about an hour ago Commander” he said briefly

Dani nodded “what did they say?”

Hadrell cleared his throat and looked uncomfortable for a moment “He said that he’d only speak to you”

Dani sat back in her chair and squeezed the bridge of her nose where a headache had begun to build.

“This is why I didn’t want it to be only me doing the introduction package” she sighed. “I can’t be the face and the voice of the Prosperitas missions here on base as well as take a part in those missions off base” She paused “which I fully intend to do”

“Understood” Hadrell nodded “We’ll figure out a way to encourage communication with other Committee officials” he paused “But for now, they’re ready to talk, and you’re here” he said pointedly.

Dani nodded and took a breath. Her stomach suddenly churning with nervous energy.

This was not only a possibly momentous occasion for Prosperitas as a community, but it was their first contact. They had no playbook to work off. Dani would be essentially winging it.

Grace reached over and squeezed her hand, offering her silent support.

Dani cleared her throat and nodded to Hadrell who opened the channel to the small speaker in front of her.

“This is Dani Ramos” she said evenly “Thank you for contacting us”

“Aloha Ms Ramos, this is Hector Iosua here in the Big Island, nice to speak with you”

Dani immediately smiled. He sounded friendly and open. _‘So far so good’_ “Please, call me Dani, Hector”

“Okay Dani” she answered easily. “So, we obviously go your air-drop. Thank you. Let me tell you, we made quick use of the wine and chocolate” he chuckled.

Hadrell glanced over at Evelyn who smiled brightly. 

“I’m glad” Dani answered back. “I hope some of the other items were of some use to you as well?” she asked

“All of it actually” he answered quickly and then paused. “We have a strong community here. A large, tight knit family. And we’ve made do with what we managed to scavenge in the early years, and what the land has provided us since. We aren’t struggling, and we aren’t necessarily in need of aid. But to see the things your community has, what you’re able to produce, let me tell you, we are definitely interested in making an alliance”

Dani smiled again “I’m glad to hear that Hector” she took a breath. “My interest to begin with will be of course to meet you and your community. I don’t want to talk about trade negotiations over a radio, I’d much prefer to speak to you face to face. To get to know you and your community before we start talking about anything serious”

“Understood” he said quickly “That’s why I radioed actually. To extend and invite to you and you delegation, as you specified, to come to Hawaii and meet with us”

“And we’d be happy to accept Hector but I must stress the importance to us that this be a peaceful, non-militarised affair. I have been as transparent as I can in my communication contained in the airdrop, and my expectation is that you will return that in kind”

“Of course Dani” Hector immediately replied.

“Do you have a military presence, any military weaponry, or weapons of any sort that would pose a danger to us?” she asked seriously. She could hear Hector clear his throat and take a second.

“We have some weapons, but when the machines attacked, they took out most of the military installations. My community believes that keeping weapons like that would be an invitation for the machines to come back, so no, we don’t’ have any weaponry except a well maintained, but modest supply of simple handguns, shotguns, and rifles”

“Okay thank you Hector”

“And you Dani? I assume, you are heavily armed over there on the mainland?”

“We are Hector. We had to be to defeat Legion. We will protect our delegation if we need to, but we have no intention of bringing this weaponry onto your Island” she paused. “You have my word”

Hadrell’s jaw clenched but he remained silent.

“How will you reach us?” he asked

“Do you have a functioning landing strip?” she asked

“No, unfortunately there’s been no need for us to maintain it. We could try, but I can’t guarantee any success with the equipment we have, and I don’t know how long it would take, but we could try”

“Thank you Hector, but I think we’ll take a boat” she said with a smile in her voice.

Hector chuckled “It’ll be a long trip so make sure you are well stocked for it. Of course, we will be more than happy to provide food and accommodation once you arrive. The waters this time of year can be a bit treacherous. Hurricanes in the Pacific run from June through to November so you’ll be travelling just as it’s about to start so stock more than you need, just in case”

Dani swallowed hard. It was late May now, so he was right, they’d likely be travelling there and back through the rough season. She’d never taken a sea voyage before and it hadn’t occurred to her that the oceans had seasons too. “We’ll make sure we’re prepared Hector. Thank you for the heads up”

There was a short pause before Hectors voice came over the radio again.

“Okay, so that was easier than I thought” He chuckled.

“How so Hector”

He paused and answered quietly “Honestly, I expected you to strongarm us into something right away”

Dani sighed “I understand the distrust and the hesitation, but you have my word that our intention is simply to meet your community first, to see if we can become allies before we even start negotiating any type of trade or supply runs”

“Understood” he replied again. “Can I ask you something Dani?”

“Si” she replied immediately.

“Are they really gone? The machines I mean? How did you do it?”

She paused, thinking of how much information she was willing to share. “We believe they are Hector. We fought them almost every day for twenty years and during that time we learned from them, we used their technology against them, we found their strongholds and eventually we located their mainframe, the original AI that launched the attack all those years ago. We coordinated a military attack last August which we believe took out their strongholds and the mainframe all in one night, and since then, we haven’t picked up any activity on any of our reconnaissance missions, and importantly, we’ve not had any encounters with any of their machines” She’d told him the truth without giving him any specific information. She wanted to play her cards close until she met the man in person.

She heard him blow out a long breath “Kinda makes me grateful our people waited it out here in relative peace for so long. I’m sorry yours ended up taking the brunt of the work, I’m sure it came at a heavy cost, and we thank you all for that”

Dani smiled again. She could sense the sincerity in his voice “It wasn’t easy” she replied “But in the end, it was worth it” she smiled “to have Prosperitas safe, to have our people free from war for the first time in a generation. You can’t put a price on that” she took another breath “And now, to be given the opportunity and the means to try to rebuild our civilisation, it’s an honour I don’t take lightly” she said earnestly.

“No, I don’t believe you would” he said kindly.

“So how soon can we send our delegation Hector?” she asked, changing the topic.

“Honestly, as soon as you’d like. I’ll give you the precise coordinates at which to anchor, and you just need to keep in touch and give us an ETA when you’re closer”

“Okay. Good” Dani said easily. “Is there anything you’d like for us to bring along Hector. Any supplies you urgently require?”

She could hear him speaking to somebody in the background.

“My wife says more wine and chocolate” he laughed and Dani’s team all joined along with him. “Seriously though, if you have any spare solar panels we’d appreciate them, maybe some more tarps, a post hole digger if you have anything like that? Wire for new fencing, and any chainsaws or chainsaw blades, our crews are getting sick of using axes”

Dani nodded as Evelyn quickly jotted down the list “that’s all” Dani enquired.

“That’s all for now Dani. Honestly, we are doing pretty well over here and we don’t often want for much. But a few things to make life a little easier would be really appreciated”

“I’m sure we can arrange for all of that Hector. I look forward to meeting you in a month or so” she paused again. “As I’ve already said, we will be bringing up to three official Committee members and two military personnel as escorts. And I expect your delegation to abide by similar numbers if possible?’

He quickly assured her that would be the case and passed along the coordinates for their first meeting. They exchanged pleasantries, agreeing to keep in radio contact at least once a week until they arrived, and then signed off.

The conference room was dead silent for a good minute before Dani breathed out “Well holy shit!” she said happily. She stood and immediately embraced Hadrell, Evelyn and then Grace who she held for much longer.

“I’ll need to get a transcript of the communication out to the committee members sometime today, and we need to start figuring out how we’re going to get to Hawaii” she said brightly “But that really did seem a lot easier than I thought it would be”

“Commander” Hadrell spoke

“General”

“I’d like to officially request my presence on your team”

Grace and Evelyn immediately followed suite and Dani grinned.

Three committee members and two military personnel is what she said she’d bring, and technically Grace was both now a Committee member and a Captain in the military, so she could see no reason not to take the three people she trusted most on their first expedition to find new allies.

“I’ll have to run it past the Committee of course, but I tentatively accept you’re requests” she grinned, and her friends smiled back at her.

“Now” she said in her best Commanders voice. “Who want’s breakfast?”

Grace’s stomach chimed in loudly and the four of them laughed and made haste toward the mess.

Dani was quiet over breakfast while William, Evelyn and Grace talked excitedly about the plans ahead. Grace kept a supporting hand on Dani’s thigh as her partner worked through her inner musings silently.

As her tablemates enthusiastically talked about their first contact, Dani’s excitement grew but so too did her nerves. There was so much to plan over the next few weeks, and she hoped beyond hope that her gut instinct was right and that they could trust Hector and his people, but she also knew that she’d have to go over worst case scenario plans with Hadrell. Worst case being a tactical airstrike and military evacuation from the island if everything went to hell. But she tried to keep faith that it wouldn’t come to that. She could almost hear Sarah scoffing at her naiveté and optimism and she smiled at the memory of her ornery mentor who had unfortunately let a lifetime of war beat most of the humanity out of her.

When Sarah had died she’d sworn to herself that she wouldn’t let what happened to her mentor, happen to her, and, so far, she had managed to mostly keep that promise. Sure she was more cynical, had rougher edges, and definitely found pulling a trigger much easier than her 22 year old self had. But all in all, she still tried to be the Dani that Grace saw. Kind and generous and optimistic, able to give her trust as well as receive others. They were hard qualities to hang onto during a war, but since being with Grace, she’d found it much easier. She took a breath and squeezed Graces hand on her thigh before leaving her musings behind and joining in on the excited conversation.

***

The following week was consumed in committee meetings and preparations for the mission. An appropriate sea vessel was being scouted by both Hadrell’s and Evelyn’s teams and Dani made sure to make contact with Hector within the week. Their conversation light and easy. Bringing him up to date on their expected departure time which was a week, possibly two from now.

Hadrell initially suggested using a navy vessel to get them there, but Dani was insistent on it not appearing as though they were arriving as a military delegation. Plus, if she took a Navy vessel, she was sure one of the Captains at the San Diego settlement would insist on coming and that would tip the scales of the military quota she’d insisted on, which she wasn’t willing to do.

She read through the daily reports from the Committee who had formed a taskforce, to get everything ready. She’d noted with interest and a touch of pride Specialist Romano, Dr Yeo, and Captain Torez were all members of the taskforce.

The taskforce was charged with ensuring that there was a functioning RADAR both on the mainland and also on the vessel once it was chosen. To gather all supplies that were to go to the Hawaii community, and to ensure ample supplies and medical equipment, were ready for the four-person crew. They charted the best course to Hawaii, deciding that departure from San Diego would be the best logistically. Plus, the San Diego base, being heavily militarised, had both the sea going vessels and air support close by, should they need to resort to any sort of worst case scenario.

Dani sat back as their most recent taskforce briefing finished and decided to take a well earned break from all things mission based for a while. She needed to see Grace. The two women had been pulled in different directions since that first contact and it was wearing on both their nerves, so as they closed the first week Dani decided to end her day early and meet Grace as she exited the engineering bay around 17:00. It felt like it had been days since they’d spent any real time together and Dani was a little on edge.

She greeted her partner with a kiss that told Grace she wanted more, and Grace smiled into the kiss, drawing Dani closer.

"Come with me?" Dani asked.

“I thought maybe we’d grab some food first? Grace answered, knowing that they both had the evening off and if they got started doing what she assumed they’d be doing, they’d likely go without a meal until breakfast.

Dani quirked a smile and pulled her lover toward the North tunnel. “We wont miss dinner mi amor” she assured.

As the doors of the elevator closed Dani pushed Grace back against the wall and drew her down into a heated kiss.

“I feel like I never see you anymore” she spoke softly, rubbing her hands over the soft material covering Graces torso and firm breasts. “I’ve missed you”

Grace grabbed Dani’s ass and pulled her firmly against her, sinking deeper into their kiss until the elevator doors opened and they worked their way out, not breaking contact.

“I’ve missed you too” she breathed.

Grace led them toward the bed, but Dani redirected them towards the shower and Grace couldn’t complain. She’d missed their almost daily ritual and she revelled at the chance to explore Dani’s body under the hot running water. 

She flicked the water on and grabbed the soap, letting the hot water and her strong hands relax the tight muscles on Dani’s back and shoulders. Dani leant into the welcome attention and let Grace work her fingers against several tight knots groaning in appreciation. At the sound of Dani’s groan, Grace felt an instant surge of desire rush through her and she pushed Dani against the cool tile wall, letting her soapy hands run across Dani’s smooth stomach and trail down past her soft curls and through her wet folds. Dani arched back and Grace held her firmly with one hand across her chest and she kissed her soft neck letting her lovers’ arousal build.

”I really have missed you” she breathed into Dani’s ear.

When she felt Dani’s breathing hitch, Grace slipped her fingers further and entered her lover with two fingers, letting her thumb brush across Dani’s now swollen clit. She pushed her body firmly into Dani’s back and worked her hand smoothly and quickly. Letting her long fingers slide in and out of her centre as her thumb sent jolts of pleasure though her taught body. Dani pushed back hard into Grace’s body and began to tremble, and Grace tightened her grip as her lovers’ legs began to tremble and lose their purchase on the wet tiled floor.

“Uuuughhhh” Dani moaned and reached behind her to grab a handful of Graces hair, bringing her head down into a kiss as her orgasm washed over her.

“God you’re beautiful” Grace breathed and deepened the kiss.

Dani turned around in her lovers embrace, still relying on Grace to carry the majority of her weight as her legs had turned to jelly. She wrapped her arms around Grace’s shoulders and kissed her deeply as the hot water cascaded over them.

When Dani could take her weight again, she took the bar of soap and proceeded to wash Grace down. Grace stood still, letting Dani’s hands explore as they usually did. She breathed in anticipation but within minutes Dani was turning the water off and towelling her lover dry. 

_‘Maybe tonight then’_ Grace thought to herself as Dani lead them into the bedroom.

Dani began to get changed and Grace reached for her clean clothes, but Dani spoke. “Not yet” and the way she said it made Grace bite her lip.

Dani, now fully clothed, pushed Grace down onto the bed and climbed on top of her long body. Kissing away any water droplets the towel hadn’t picked up.

“I want to play a game with you tonight Grace” Dani said through dark, desire filled eyes.

Grace swallowed hard and nodded. Her seemingly ever-present desire for Dani ratchetting up a few notches.

Dani moved to her footlocker and pulled out their black bag of toys and Grace’s pulse immediately quickened.

Dani pulled out a pair of lace panties “I’d like you to wear this for me tonight”

Grace smiled, a hit of uncertainty on her face, but took the panties and pulled them on. They fit snugly but felt entirely different to the underwear she was used to.

Dani pulled her up off the bed and wrapped her up in a soft embrace, pulling her head down so her lips were at Graces ear. “If you can get through dinner silently, I promise I’ll make you scream later tonight” she whispered and kissed Graces neck.

Grace frowned and shook her head, not understanding what the pair of panties and dinner had to do with her being silent.

Her unasked question was answered as Dani reached underneath the waistband of the panties and inserted a small silicone device into a concealed, purpose-built pocket inside the crotch of the panties.

“Dani” Grace asked in a confused voice.

Without replying, Dani reached into the pocket of her own pants and Grace immediately gasped and almost doubled over as the small bullet shaped vibrator set inside her panties stimulated her clit unexpectedly. Within a few seconds it was off, and Dani pulled her hand out of her pocked along with a small remote and grinned.

Dani drew her partner close again and kissed her deeply.

“You won’t know when I’ll switch on, nor for how long, but I want you to use that legendary Augment control and composure. I don’t want anyone else to know while I pleasure you.

Grace swallowed hard.

They’d never played in public before, let alone amongst their table full of friends, but as Dani switched the vibrator on again, Grace closed her eyes and nodded. Knowing she’d do just about anything for Dani, especially if it meant that Dani would leave the toy on for a little longer.

Grace got changed quickly, pulling on a pair of tight black jeans and a black tank, both fitting her like a second skin, knowing how Dani felt about the combination on her _‘two can play at this game’_ she grinned internally, and immediately closed her eyes as the small near-silent vibrator pulsed against her clit for a few seconds, her tight jeans adding pressure to the toy in an unexpected but wonderful way.

She took a breath and locked eyes with her lover and the look in Dani’s eyes told her that her choice of clothing had worked. Dani was clearly aroused and also clearly enjoying the intoxicating sense of control she had in this scenario.

Grace walked toward her, pulled her close and kissed her until she was breathless. Dani’s hands had found Grace’s breasts and Grace grabbed Dani’s ass with both hands and pulled her in harder. When Dani’s hips started to twitch, and when her breaths became shallow moans Grace pulled away and took Dani’s hand, guiding her silently to the elevator with a grin.

“fuck” Dani whispered and Grace smiled, knowing that for now she’d scored a point, but this evening would be Dani’s game, and she was determined to let her win.

The two women silently caught their breaths as they rode the elevator up to the tunnel in silence, trying to regain some composure before the doors opened.

They got to the mess, gathered their food and made their way to the far table where Hadrell, Evelyn, Torez, and Stephanie sat. Grace smiled at their small group and she and Dani took their seats, Dani placing herself across the table from Grace who sat herself next to Stephanie.

“Commander” Hadrell and Torez and Romano greeted her immediately.

Dani sat down heavily and groaned “Okay, new rules everyone” she looked seriously at her friends. “at this table, there’s no Commander, got it?” nobody immediately answered. “I’m serious!” she said with a flash in her eyes “I accepted the title back to appease the Committee. I don’t want to be referred to as the Commander by my friends when we’re together like this, relaxing” again, nobody spoke and Grace had to swallow her smile. “Understood?!” she exclaimed. 

“Sure Dani” Hadrell quipped. Torez and Romano smiled and nodded. The lack of protocol, even if it was only during their down time, was going to take some getting used to, but they all felt privileged to be amongst the few that Dani called friends so they would get over it, for her.

They spent a while talking about the upcoming Hawaii expedition. Stephanie and Torez bemoaning the fact that they weren’t going to be on this mission, but Dani promised them positions on another expedition whenever that came around.

Grace had just spooned a forkful of mashed potato into her mouth when the vibrator flicked on. She involuntarily leant forward and swallowed her entire mouthful, almost choking as she did.

Dani switched the bullet off and let Grace recover.

“You okay Grace” Stephanie asked immediately. Grace coughed and nodded before taking a gulp of water.

“Just went down the wrong way” Grace croaked and flashed Dani a look.

Dani sat casually back, eating her dinner, looking quite innocently at her partner.

“Be more careful next time mi amor” she said straight faced.

Grace clenched her jaw, forcing herself not to react or respond.

Evelyn noted the exchange but didn’t think much of it at first.

Hadrell began talking about a few boats, ships and yachts he’d been scouting for the trip and initially Grace paid attention, but again, the vibrator went off inside her pants. This time her eyes shut momentarily, and she breathed through the sensation. She leant pack in her seat and pretended to pay attention to Hadrell, but all the while she was wrestling with her body, trying to keep it from responding. She controlled her breathing, and shut out the sounds around her, letting the pressure build low in her belly while keeping her body still.

Dani was captivated. She watched Grace’s chest flush, watched her close her eyes for a second before clenching her jaw in determination. Watched her chest rise and fall evenly. She flicked the toy off and kept watching Grace’s body, only she could see the slight relaxing of her grip against the arms of the chair she sat on, the tension in her neck, slacken ever so slightly.

Dani felt herself get wet just watching Grace exert control over her body the way she was.

She’s kept one ear on Hadrell’s commentary and when he started mentioned the Yacht her ears perked up.

“Tell me more about this Yacht” she said with interest and William immediately grinned.

“I was hoping you’d say that Comman ….. Dani” He cleared his throat “Well it’s one of those superyachts that asshole billionaires back in the day used to own. This one has been sitting on a drydock in a warehouse on the south west coast since before the war. It’s essentially in mint condition and perfect for the trip. It has a helipad …”

Dani scoffed “seriously!?”

“Completely” he said with excitement in his eyes. “And enough designated deck space for us to load a single vehicle and any supplies we might need” he took a quick breath and powered ahead.

Evelyn placed a hand on his thigh, enjoying watching him get so caught up in the task he’d been assigned.

Grace was paying attention by this time too “What’s its …” the vibrator switched on and Grace clenched her jaw again, her eyes became darker and she breathed out slowly. She cleared her throat “What’s it range?”

But she didn’t hear Hadrell’s answer, her hands instantly tightened around the arms of her chair and she tilted her pelvis a little to increase the pressure but concentrated on keeping her breathing even.

Dani’s nostrils flared as she watched Graces firm stomach muscles clench slightly under her tight tank top, watched her nipples get hard against the material. Dani watched the flush rise again over her lovers’ chest, watched the veins in her forearms stand out as she gripped the arms of her seat. But through it all, she remained still and calm.

Dani locked eyes with Grace, and Grace shot her a look that said _‘I’m winning’._ Dani raised and eyebrow and pushed another button on the small remote

Grace’s eyes momentarily closed and she leant forward, putting her head in her hands as the vibrations against her clit doubled in speed and intensity.

Stephanie looked over at her friend, assumed she was in some kind of discomfort and placed a hand on her friends’ shoulder “Are you sure you’re okay Grace” noticing her heated skin and the slight tremble in muscles of the shoulder her hand was on. 

Dani flicked the toy off and Grace forced her heartrate to slow before raising her head.

She nodded quickly at her friend “Just a bit of a headache” she said with an even voice.

Dani spoke just as easily “She hasn’t been getting enough sleep, and all these committee meeting back to back for days have been a bit taxing on everyone”

Stephanie nodded and Grace sat back in her chair and smiled at her partner.

Evelyn looked between Dani and Grace and could feel something was happening. There was a tension between them and it seemed like they were silently challenging each other, she couldn’t quite figure it out, but it definitely seemed sexual. 

Evelyn was Dani’s oldest and closest friend. They’d been occasional lovers for almost the entirety of the war, and she knew Dani’s ticks and physical posture better than almost anybody. She could tell that Dani was aroused just by look in her eyes, the set of her jaw and the slight flush around her neck. She looked at Grace and saw a similar set to her jaw, and a definite flush around her chest, she also saw the way Grace’s hands were griping the arms of her chair. Evelyn’s eyebrows raised in appreciation. She didn’t know what game they were playing but the fact that they were playing it in public was actually a bit of a turn on.

Her hand which had been resting casually on Williams thigh tightened a little and slipped lower, brushing against his cock.

William took a breath and sat up straighter. Flicking Evelyn a curious expression. He gently placed his large hand over hers and moved it back to where it had been. He felt himself respond to Evelyn’s light touch immediately and he tried to keep his composure.

Evelyn smiled silently and continued to watch her two friends.

“So, as long as we can retrofit a few solar panels designated for energy use on board the yacht, and carry maybe an extra couple thousand gallons of fuel we should have more than enough for the return trip, the chopper and whatever vehicle we chose to take with us” He finished quickly.

Dani switched the vibrator back on, and again doubled its intensity before casually leaning forward “So, two weeks there, two weeks back, and perhaps up to a week on the island Si?”

Hadrell nodded “But for safety I’d like to stock the yacht for a two-month trip just in case. Better to be over-prepared”

Dani nodded in agreement. Then quickly glanced at her lover before taking a deep breath and looking back at Hadrell “And I assume we will have communication capabilities and some form of radar?”

Hadrell nodded. “We’ll have the HAM which we can use both ways to the Base and to the island. And we’re already making sure we’ll have a functioning radar onboard to keep track of weather. We can’t use any kind of satellite tech because our engineering teams aren’t convinced that we should risk a connection to them yet.

Grace’s gaze became unfocused and she no longer heard anything around her. She kept her breathing even, but felt her stomach start to tremble involuntarily so she folded her hands over her stomach, intertwining her fingers as casually as possible. She could feel shivers run up her spin and through her scalp and she clenched her jaw to swallow a groan.

Evelyn watched in wrapped fascination as Grace remained still and quiet while experiencing whatever Dani was undoubtedly doing to her. To anyone who wasn’t paying attention, Grace would have appeared quiet and reserved, but the look she was giving Dani, and the way Dani caught her breath when she looked at her. Well, it was definitely erotic, and Evelyn found herself shifting in her chair.

Her hand discreetly went back to William’s cock and this time it lingered and he quickly cut is explanation of installing a long wave radio to the yacht short.

Evelyn watched in awe as Grace’s beautiful eyes momentarily fluttered closed and she saw Dani bite her lip while still seemingly paying attention to the conversation she was having with Hadrell.

Grace felt her orgasm approach and, as it began she couldn’t stop her eyes from closing for a second, her head almost dropping forward but she willed it to stay upright. Her hands trembled gently, and her stomach clenched as she silently and stilly rode through her orgasm.

The toy switched off and she tried to take long deep breaths, bringing her racing heartbeat back down.

Evelyn grasped Williams now firm cock and rubbed it gently through his pants. She knew she had just watched Grace have an orgasm, and she knew Dani had been responsible for it, she just had no idea how, and she didn’t actually care right now, she just new that she needed to get William onto their room now.

She cleared her throat “If you’ll excuse us” she nodded to her tablemates “we’ll see you all tomorrow no doubt” she smiled and took William’s hand and the two quickly left.

Stephanie smiled at their departure.

Dani leant forward, giving her lover time to regain her composure “So Stephanie, I’d like you and Dr Yeo to put together a comprehensive medical kit for us to carry in our transport. I know the Committee has already requested one based on the best-case scenario, but I’d like to be prepared for the worst. So, a kit similar to what the dragonflies carry, but add extra saline, extra nanite plasma, a cooler with several units of donor blood, a few field trauma kits, basic surgical supplies, and extra Augment meds just in case” she watched the young medic nod eagerly.

Dani saw Grace had caught her breath and her blue eyes flashed triumphantly at her, but she ignored the look and turned to Torez.

“Alicia, would you mind working with William to ensure the Yacht is fitted with modest defensive weaponry and offensive protection. I’ve promised that we’d carry no heavy weaponry onto the island, so we will only take small arms when we disembark, but I want the Yacht to be able to become a safe-house should the shit it the fan.

“Of course Comman … .Dani” She quickly corrected and smiled broadly. “I’ll go over the requirements with Hadrell tomorrow.

Dani nodded at the two women “excellent” she stood and bid them a goodnight before holding out her hand to Grace who took it and slowly raised her long body out of the chair. Dani’s arm snaked around Graces waist and the two women left the mess together.

***

Evelyn squeezed her legs tightly around Williams hips as he pumped into her. Her orgasm and come quick and hard, it had been building since the mess hall after all. After Evelyn arched against him, William thrust himself into her now even tighter centre a few more times and dropped onto her has he felt himself empty inside of her.

“What go into you woman” He panted, confused but in no way complaining about his lovers’ sudden urge to jump him.

She laughed and held him close “honestly?” she quirked a brow

He nuzzled her neck and nodded.

“I watched Dani give Grace an orgasm over dinner” she said nonchalantly “and it turned me on”

Hadrell’s head shot up “what!? … no!” he said incredulously and quickly ran the evening back in his head. “No way”

“Oui” she said still grinning. “She did it quietly and unnoticed obviously, but Grace definitely had an orgasm while you were busy talking about fuel capacity and radios. And Dani definitely had something to do with it”

He shook his head again “I don’t believe it” he said and chuckled

“I’ll prove it to you at tomorrows mission briefing” she said confidently and drew him down for a long passionate kiss. She felt him get hard inside her again and smiled, pushing her hip upward in invitation.

“So, it turned you on did it?” He said in interest and she rolled her eyes and laughed, drawing him back down to her.

***

Dani and Grace made it out of the mess before Dani pinned Grace to the outer wall of the barracks and kissed her as though her life depended on it. Watching her lover orgasm quietly had flicked a switch in her brain and she felt like she needed to consume Grace. She’d never felt this way about anyone before, never been so quickly and so constantly turned on before.

“You were beautiful mi amor” she breathed “when you came” she bit Graces lip “I felt like I was going to as well, just from watching you” she closed her eyes and shuddered at the mental image she’d made.

Grace felt like all her nerve endings were short circuiting. She might have had an orgasm, but she didn’t feel like she’d had release. And the way Dani had toyed with her had driven her nearly mad with desire. But having to suppress her reaction had tempered everything in a way that left it all still bubbling under the surface, ready to surge forward again.

“Dani” she panted against her lovers’ hungry lips “Dani” she said again, and gently pushed her eager lover back. She leant forward and braced her hands on her legs trying to catch her breath. The almost violent surge of desire she felt caught her off guard and she tried to reign it in. She had almost felt as though she could have ripped Dani’s clothes off right there and fucked her in public. Her legs felt weak and her breathing was uneven.

Dani watched Grace struggle with her intense emotions and stepped forward. Letting Grace’s head rest against her stomach. She gently ran her fingers though her blonde locks until she felt Grace’s body stop trembling, felt her take a full breath. She smiled and brought Graces head back up.

“Too much?” she asked gently

Grace smiled slightly and then laughed “I honestly don’t know how to answer that Dani” she straightened her long body and ran her fingers through her hair which was starting to grow out a little and had become a little more unruly much to Dani’s delight.

“I feel” she shook her head “I don’t know how to describe it” she blew out a breath “It scares me sometimes, the intensity I feel toward you. How much I love you, but also how strongly I desire you, desire your body. It feels primal, like it’s not coming from me, but from somewhere deeper” She laughed lightly again “I don’t even know if that makes any sense” and again she ran her hand through her hair.

Dani cupped the side of her face as she’d hone hundreds of times before. It had become their thing. A way for Dani to convey her love and her desire, and her calm in times when it was needed.

“I know exactly what you’re saying Grace” she said softly and brought Graces head down for a gentle kiss. “I feel it too” she cupped her lovers hot face “sometimes it feel like it will consume me if I let it” Grace nodded and Dani brought her lips to hers again in a gentle kiss.

She grasped her lovers’ hand and Grace squeezed it back and they silently made their way toward the north tunnel and the private elevator.

Grace felt her stomach tighten as they descended. Remembering Dani’s promise to her before they left.

Dani led them into the quarters but instead of taking them to the bed, she sat Grace down at the seat by the table and straddled her, capturing her lips again but softly. She ran her fingers through Graces hair and wrapped them around her strong shoulders and Grace wrapped her arms around Dani’s back, pulling her in close.

Dani felt Graces breathing quicken and pulled back looking down into her lovers’ crystal blue eyes.

“Do you want me to do what I said I do to you Grace?” she asked seriously. “Because if it’s too much right now, I understand” she cupped her lovers cheek “I can make love to you gently” she smiled “Or I can just hold you” she dipped her head and kissed Graces soft lips again, not pushing or urging a response. She pulled away slightly and let her forehead rest against Graces, letting her partner take a moment to gather herself.

Grace stood, bringing Dani along with her. She pulled off Dani’s top and undid the button of her pants. She let Dani shuck off her shoes and pants while she pulled her jeans and tank off her own body. They smiled at each other as Grace slipped out of the panties she’d been wearing.

“I want you to make me scream” Grace said evenly, her blue eyes dark with desire.

Dani took a breath and smiled, pulling Grace’s head down for another kiss but this time much more demanding. She waited until Grace’s fingers were digging into her back, trying to pull her closer, until she was moaning around the kiss before she pulled away.

“are you sure” she said in a warning tone.

Grace nodded confidently.

“It will hurt” Dani warned again and again Grace nodded but took a deep breath.

Dani smiled and kissed her again “It will also be incredibly pleasurable. I promise”

And with that Dani became serious. She cleared the small narrow table of the paperwork and glasses on it and pushed Grace face up, onto the hard surface. She went to the black bag in her footlocker and pulled out a few leather buckles and the blindfold.

Dani fitted the blindfold securely over her lovers’ eyes. And took a moment to admire her lovers’ prostrate body. Her long legs hanging off the edge of the table. Her hand gripping the edges in anticipation.

She spread graces legs wide on the narrow table, pulling her forward until her ass just balanced on the edge. She pushed one leg so that it hung off the long side of the table, opening her up wide, she then buckled her ankle to the leg of the table. She then pushed Graces second leg further apart until it too hung off the long end of the table and she secured her ankle to the corresponding leg of the table.

Grace had already begun to breath fast, her chest and face flushing in anticipation.

Dani then wrapped Graces wrists in two strong leather buckles followed by a leather collar around her neck which she tightened just enough for it to be mildly uncomfortable. She positioned Graces arms straight out to the sides, letting her elbows naturally bend over the edges of the narrow table. Dani then grabbed a length of rope from the bag and created a strong tie between her two dangling wrists under the table. From that she fed the rope back up and over the far narrow edge of the table near Graces head and pulled the rope through the ring on the back of collar, creating a tight connection between the ropes holding her arms and her neck so that any time Grace tried to raise her arms, the collar would pull against her neck, holding her firmly against the table, and any time she tried to raise her head, her arms would be pulled further down and back, putting uncomfortable strain on her shoulders.

Dani trailed her fingers over her lovers now slick body. From the hollow of her neck down her chest, along her abdomen and then down one trembling thigh.

“You know the only way to get me to stop now?” she asked

“Our safe word” Grace answered immediately.

Dani went to her bag and pulled out the items she wanted to use on Grace tonight.

Grace heard a match strike.

A second later she felt the sharp sting of several leather tassels against her stomach. She grunted and her head tried to lift off the table, but her arms pulled uncomfortably back as she did.

“Your body is mine tonight” Dani said in the tone of the Commander. And Grace’s mouth went dry. She could only nod.

Dani flicked the whip again, this time putting more force behind it and Grace let out a short yell as each tassel left a red mark on her skin. Dani moved around the table and brought the whip down over each of Graces breasts and Grace strained against her arm restraints, only to find her collar pulling harshly against her neck.

She moaned at the pain which became pleasure and settle into heat against her already heated skin. She knew not to ask Dani for more, she knew she was there to take whatever Dani decided she needed. She felt the sting of the leather against her stomach again and then quickly against one thigh and then the other. All she could do was moan and arch her back into the sensations and breath through the pain until it morphed into pleasure.

Dani lightly flicked the whip at Graces centre and Grace gasped at the unexpected contact. Dani watched her thighs tremble but because they were spread over the sides of the table, she couldn’t bring them together.

Dani did it again, a little harder this time. Grace yelled and her head came up quickly then slammed back down against the table as her arms pulled up.

Dani watched her lover quiver on the table, her torso and legs red from the whip, but not welts or broken skin. She smiled in approval of her own work.

Grace panted as the room went quiet again. She sensed Dani approaching and prepared her body for another strike, but instead felt something burning and hot on her chest.

“Dani!” she gasped and panted harder.

Dani cupped her cheek softly but said nothing.

Grace felt the same burning drip down her belly and she tried to struggle against her ties as the drops approached her centre, but they didn’t. Instead the hot liquid landed on the sensitive skin of her inner thighs and she moaned loudly at the pain which again turned into hot pleasure somehow. Her whole body felt like it was burning, but each nerve ending was sending her brain pleasure sensations and her hips began to rock as those sensations of pleasure began to coil low in her belly. 

She felt Dani stand at the end of the table, between her open legs, and as her fingers unexpectedly began to stroke through her wet folds Grace went boneless. One long continuous moan pushed out from her lungs as Dani stroked her expertly, bringing her to the brink of an orgasm before pulling away.

Grace panted and then arched as Dani slid her fingers inside of her again. Pumping them quickly. She felt Dani press down with her hand, low on her belly and curl her fingers inside of her and Grace almost screamed as an orgasm instantly and unexpectedly tore through her. Dani kept pumping her fingers and Grace felt another finger slide inside her and she grunted at each thrust as it pushed her closer and closer, Dani sped up her strokes and Grace couldn’t stop the incoherent moan as her body contracted and released through another full body orgasm. Dani pulled her hand away almost brutally and Grace groaned at the sudden absence of contact. Her body shaking uncontrollably on the table as it responded to all the sensations running through it.

Grace heard a chair being dragged and felt Dani take a seat at the edge of the table. She felt a cool breath of air across her wet folds and she felt Dani’s lips wrap them up in a soft kiss.

“Uuuugghhhh” Grace moaned and arched onto the contact. Dani gently sucked and kissed her wet lips, drawing her clit into her mouth then letting it fall away before coming back for more.

Grace felt out of body. Her skin felt like it was on fire, but the way Dani was using her mouth was almost soothing. The mixed sensations sending her mind further from her body until Dani switched pace and sucked harshly on her clit pulling between her lips and flicking it with her tongue.

Again Grace catapulted into another orgasm and though her throat was sore, she panted loudly as Dani’s persistent tongue kept flicking and rubbing harshly against her tender clit. She jerked and groaned at each swipe Dani’s tongue made until her stomach tightened again and yet another sharp, fast, orgasm quickly washed through her.

Dani sat back for a moment and placed her hands on Graces trembling thighs. Her lover was virtually incoherent and couldn’t seem to stop the contractions running through her body. But she wasn’t done yet. She needed her own release and knew how she wanted it.

She quickly untied Graces bindings and left the blindfold on, but Grace knew not to move until Dani commanded her to.

“Turn around” Dani ordered and Grace pushed herself up with shaky arms. She turned her body around and let Dani reposition her legs and arms. This time Dani left Graces legs spread wide and unbound so she could bend face down on the table. She used the rope to bring Graces arms behind her back, binding her forearms together in a way that even her augments wouldn’t be able to break. She then fed the rope through the collar again connecting it almost harshly to her bound wrists.

She pushed Grace back down on the table and again took the whip and struck her across her ass, and the back of her thighs several times before withdrawing leaving her trembling and sweaty partner panting into the surface of the table.

Grace heard the sound of a harness being pulled on. She heard Dani moan in pleasure and knew that she was putting on the double ended toy. The thought of it made her stomach tighten instantly.

Dani had to breath into the toy as she slipped it inside of her. Her body was so ready to come, but she wanted to be inside Grace when she did.

She tightened the straps, grabbed a couple more items from the bag and walked over to her lover.

She dragged her hands appreciatively over Graces firm ass, squeezing the flesh harshly until Grace moaned again. She positioned the tip of the toy against her quivering centre and Grace made a sound of pleasure that made her thrust hard and fast inside her lover.

Grace screamed and her body arched back against the immediate fullness, but Dani didn’t pause. She grabbed onto the table on either side of Graces body and rhythmically pumped into her lover, and as intended, she felt each thrust via the shaft inside her own centre, bringing her closer to her own release. Dani pushed harder as she felt her walls clench around the toy inside her but she waited, watching Grace until her legs began to tremble and she emitted a long low moan as her body once again tipped over and began to shake.

“Grace” Dani groaned long and loud as let her orgasm take over, folding her body over her lovers as she rocked through each wave. She kept herself braced on the edges of the table, she wasn’t finished yet, one orgasm wasn’t going to be nearly enough for her. And despite her lovers obviously over sensitised and fatigued body, she had yet to use their safe word so she grabbed the final toy, applied lubricant to it, and gently guided the beads inside Grace’s anus.

Grace jerked and let out a quick breath each time a bead slipped in but her body was hyper-stimulated and the sensations barely registered. Once the toy was fully inserted, Dani began to slide her hips back and forth again, letting the toy work them both. Dani could tell that Grace was almost at her limit so she took care not to be too harsh with her strokes. She kept a slow steady rhythm and felt her own orgasm start to build as the toy inside her moved.

She knew that this would be the last orgasm Graces over-stimulated body could handle but she wanted her to remember it, so as she rocked into her lover, she reached up and grabbed a hold of the rope, pulling on it until Graces back arched far enough for her to grab hold of the collar. In doing so she tightened it around Graces neck and Grace gasped and moaned, knowing what was about to happen. Dani picked up the pace of her hips feeling her stomach tighten. She measured her breathing to try and control herself. Waiting for the tell-tale signs of Grace’s impending orgasm.

And eventually Grace’s already trembling legs trembled a little more, her head started to fall forward, despite Dani’s grip on her collar, and she held her breath momentarily.

This is what Dani had been waiting for and she pulled harshly on the collar, closing off Graces airway as her orgasm started. Dani felt her own body start to contract around to toy inside of her, but before she gave into her own orgasm and lost all sense, she smoothly and swiftly pulled the anal beads out of Grace who jerked and screamed as much as her raw throat would let her as her orgasm build upon itself, intensifying in a way that completely took over her oxygen deprived body; bright lights flashed under her closed eyes and her ears began to ring, but all she felt were the powerful surges of energy ebbing and flowing through her body.

Dani let go of her collar and Grace fell back onto the table, completely unable to control her shaking body. She quickly pulled on the lose end of the wrist binding and the whole complex knot came loose, freeing Graces arms and neck immediately.

Grace moved her arms and tightly grasped the sides of the table to anchor herself as her body writhed out of her control, her throat barely able to make sounds other than short pleasure filled gasps.

Dani groaned and pushed once more into Grace as the last of her own orgasm washed over her. She let her hands slide up either side of the table and lay her head on Graces sweaty back until they both started to come back to their bodies.

Grace’s legs started to tremble uncontrollably as the strain took its toll. Dani took pity on her lover and gently pulled her hips back, allowing the dildo to slide out slowly. As Dani’s body weight left Graces, Grace unceremoniously crumpled to the floor and laid herself flat out on her back, trying to bring her body back under control as it continued to gently convulse through aftershocks.

Dani quickly unclipped the harness and let her end of the toy slide out of her. She then knelt next to her lover and pulled off the blindfold.

Graces eyes were glazed over and unfocused and shiny with unshed tears.

Dani lay her body alongside Graces and cupped her cheek, brushing away the few tears that managed to escape. She crawled on top of her lover and lay her body against hers, knowing that her body weight and skin contact would help settle her. She lay like that silently for long minutes, her head against Graces chest, listening to her rapid heartbeat eventually slow.

As Grace slowly came back to her body she wrapped her shaky arms around Dani and pulled her tight.

She couldn’t talk, and she didn’t trust her body to move just yet, so she just lay there, embracing Dani like the anchor she was to her.

Dani placed soft kisses along the red skin near her lips and sat herself up.

She again cupped Graces cheek and bent to kiss her softly.

“You’re fucking incredible do you know that” Dani said with a wide smile and Grace groaned but Dani felt her lips form a smile of her own.

“Do you think you can move?” Dani asked and Grace immediately shook her head.

Dani smiled again and worked around her lovers’ prone body to free it of the buckles and ties that still clung to it.

She then got up and grabbed a small bottle of oil and poured a liberal amount onto her hands. Grace quirked a brow.

“It’s almond oil” Dani explained briefly. “It helps get the wax off”

Grace frowned and then looked down at her body and gasped. Her skin was red and inflamed where the whip had struck it, and there was a trail of dried wax from her chest down to her thighs.

“Candle wax?” she asked in a very croaky voice.

“Si” Dani smiled softly and started to gently apply the oil to the red patches of Graces skin, and over the dried wax. The oil would not only help her get the wax of Graces skin, but it would help with the redness and any possible welts she may have left behind.

Grace relaxed and let herself enjoy the feel of Dani’s loving hands on her body. Each new place she touched allowed her to reconnect with that part of her body again, grounding her. After about a half hour Dani had removed almost all of the dried wax and had also given Grace’s body a soothing massage, including her very fatigued arms and legs. She sat back and admired Graces now very slick, very gorgeous, and very sated body.

“You’re proud of yourself aren’t you” Grace asked and had to clear her throat a few times just to get the sentence out.

Dani laughed and ducked her head to kiss her lover again. “And what if I am” she asked playfully.

Grace reached up and held her head firmly, bringing her back down for another more passionate kiss. “you should be” she said seriously and then smiled brightly. “I might not be able to sit down tomorrow, but I definitely won’t be complaining” she smiled and Dani couldn’t help laugh.

Dani stood and helped her partner up. Grace groaned but managed to get to her feet, she made as though to move toward the shower, but Dani held her back and pulled her toward the bed. “Believe me mi amor, you don’t want hot water anywhere near your body tonight” she said with a smile in her voice.

She pulled back the sheets and Grace gingerly got in while Dani quickly washed and cleaned the toys and got Grace and herself a large glass of water.

As Dani cleaned down their dining table desk Grace felt heat rise to her cheeks. “I don’t think I’m ever going to be able to eat or do paperwork there again without getting turned on” she said semi-seriously.

Dani laughed and finished up quickly before scampering into the bed, tucking herself quickly into her lovers’ side, trying to find a place to lay her arm that wouldn’t hurt her.

Grace smiled and pulled Dani’s arm across her stomach despite the slight soreness. She knew that her skin would be completely healed in a few hours and she wanted her lover close despite the minor discomfort.

The room was quiet for a few minutes as each woman processed what they’d just experienced.

“Grace?” Dani asked somewhat hesitantly and propped herself up on one elbow.

“Hmmm” Grace replied and looked up into Dani’s serious face.

“I know you didn’t use our safe word, but I wanted to make sure you’re okay. I know that I can push, and I don’t want you to feel like you always need to accommodate my desires” she stroked her lovers soft cheek and gazed into her clear blue eyes which held nothing but love in them.

“Dani, I’m more than okay” she beamed. “And I promise that if I ever feel too overwhelmed or uncomfortable, I’ll try and talk to you about it. But there’s a reason I didn’t use our safe word” she smiled brightly and pulled Dani down for a gentle kiss. “I know that despite any hesitation or discomfort I sometimes feel, I trust you implicitly. I know you’d never actually hurt me. And after over a year together, I know that every time you introduce me to something new, I always, and I mean always enjoy it” she kissed Dani’s lips softly again “okay?”

Dani nodded happily and sighed, putting her head back down on Graces shoulder. She actually hadn’t thought about how long they’d been together, But Grace was right. The first time they’d slept together was the same day she’d revealed her past to Grace. It was late in 2041 but she honestly couldn’t remember the date and felt a little ashamed that she’d obviously let their first anniversary pass without a mention. She knew it was not long after Grace’s 33’rd birthday, the day she’d had Bruce make the cake for her and she remembered the horrible argument they’d had soon after, and the terrifying injuries Grace suffered which almost took her away before she could apologise. Dani squeezed Grace close, the memories making her feel that tendril of fear again.

“You okay” Grace asked quietly.

Dani nodded and wiped away at her eyes.

“Talk to me” Grace said softly and kissed her forehead.

She propped herself up on one elbow again and sighed “I was just trying to remember our anniversary day” she smiled shyly and stroked Grace’s cheek. “I know it was after your birthday, which made me remember the cake, and then our terrible argument” she paused “and the day you came back to the base after the warehouse battle” she swallowed. “I remembered that as soon as you were better, I told you everything” she stroked Graces soft cheek “and that was our first night together” she smiled and then looked a little sad. “But I never paid attention to the date and I can’t believe I didn’t take note of it somehow” she sighed.

Grace beamed up at her lover and drew her into a gentle kiss. “I just assumed that celebrating anniversaries wasn’t your thing, so I never mentioned it” her grin widened as she rolled off the bed and rummaged through one of her large duffel bags in the closet. She came back carrying a small package.

“It was the 7th September 2041” she said with a shy smile, then became serious. “We didn’t get to celebrate it last year because, you know” she trailed off and Dani teared up again.

Grace had died on the 20th of August 2042, that day had been seared into her brain for so many reasons, it was the day they took Legion out and won the war, but it was the day she thought she’d lost Grace, and for her, it was the day her world had ended. She took a calming breath. But her world hadn’t ended. Grace was right here, now. Healthy, and whole.

Grace continued “So while we were travelling, I found this and I was going to give this to you over Christmas but that came and went so quickly, and then I thought maybe our eighteen month anniversary, but I kinda chickened out that time, so I was going to wait until your birthday next month …. but” she smiled and ducked her head again and held out the package.

“You’re such a goofball Grace Harper” Dani laughed and kissed her. “I wish you would have told me” and she cupped her face again “And I’m sorry I wasn’t paying attention, but I won’t forget now” she kissed her sweetly and looked at the small package in her hand, wrapped in plain paper with a love heart drawn in ink over the front. 

She opened it quickly and gasped, tears immediately filling her eyes. It was a simple yet beautiful necklace. A thin black leather band, with a stunning oval gemstone in a delicate silver setting at the middle about the size of a dime. A stone the same shade as Graces eyes.

“It’s my birthstone, a sapphire” Grace quickly explained.

Dani held it out to her and Grace easily put it around her neck and did the clasp at the end of the strap.

“I remember the ember you used to wear for Grace” she said quietly, and “I remember the day you took it off” she looked at Dani with unshed tears in her eyes. “I know how much it meant to you, how much she meant to you” she took Dani’s hands “I know that you know I’m not her, and I know I’m not replacing her, but, at the same time I wanted you to have something that was from me, uniquely me” she kissed Dani’s hands and wiped at her eyes.

“I love you Grace” Dani leant forward, cupping her chin so that they were eye to eye. “And I love that I have something to connect me to you” she reached up to her neck and thumbed the blue stone, feeling her heart swell.

Grace broke out in a wide smile and Dani’s heart almost burst. She pulled Grace to her and held her for long minutes. God how she loved her.

“So, do you have any pressing plans for the 7th of September this year Grace?” Dani asked matter-of-factly.

“Just loving you I guess” Grace shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, and laughed as Dani pushed them down onto the bed and kissed her happily.

“You really are a romantic goofball aren’t you” Dani laughed and they settled back into bed, embracing tightly until sleep eventually took them both. 

*** 

The next morning at 9am Dani and Grace walked into the briefing room hand in hand, happy and relaxed.

Only Evelyn and William were present so far as the meeting wasn’t due to start for another half hour.

Evelyn immediately noticed the new necklace Dani wore and recognised its significance right away. She’d noticed the absence of the amber medallion when Dani and Grace had returned from their short trip away but hadn’t said anything. She filed this away for a later conversation with her friend.

Remembering last night, she quirked a grin at William who looked mildly uncomfortable but also amused.

“Welcome ladies” Evelyn called out happily “I trust you two enjoyed your evening after such a … _stimulating_ … dinner last night?” she emphasised the word for effect.

Grace stopped dead and stared at Evelyn with wide eyes.

Dani immediately smirked at her perceptive and cheeky friend and pulled her stunned partner along with her to their seats.

Evelyn bit her lip and managed to contain her smile until she saw the blush rise up Grace’s face.

Hadrell felt for Grace but couldn’t help the laugh that burst forth. “God damn!” he laughed again.

Grace sat down gingerly and dumped her head in her hands “You knew!?” she asked. Completely mortified.

Evelyn chuckled. “ _Oui_. but not right away. And nobody else noticed, not even William. Until I told him later” she smiled brightly and started handing out the days briefing notes.

Grace groaned into her hands again, and Dani didn’t know whether to feel sorry for her lover or laugh out loud.

Evelyn placed a comforting hand on Graces shoulder and leant forward. “If it makes you feel any better, it wasn’t you that gave it away”

Dani stopped smiling and ducked her head as a blush started to creep up her neck. Of course Evelyn knew her tells, they’d been lovers for years.

Grace just groaned again and ran her hands through her hair as she sat up in her seat, trying not to make eye contact with anyone.

At 9:15 the rest of the committee members started to trickle through the doors for the 9:30 briefing. Those that were in the Settlements rather than on base appeared on overhead screens at each end of the room, and the final meeting before the expedition began.

Hadrell laid out details of the yacht, a 150 foot super yacht was drydocked close to the San Diego Settlement, so they’d be able to transport it there by sea quite easily. He outlined its’ intended on board cargo of a chopper, a jeep, a trailer full of supplies, and went through the fortification that were being made to it as they spoke. Shutters for exposed glass or Perspex windows, DNA identification entry and operation requirements, similar to what the restricted areas of the base already had. And the two concealed rail cannons they’d been able to install as a precaution should the yacht needed to become a safe house. He went over the simple arms they’d be carrying, handguns, and rifles, but nothing with any kind of legion tech which could be reverse engineered should they fall into the wrong hands.

Evelyn went over the communications options of the HAM radio, which had a designated channel for the Island another designated channel for emergency use by the crew back to the base. She also went through the supply manifest, all of which she’d done in the previous meeting, so she kept it brief.

Dani outlined again the purpose of the mission, ensuring everyone knew not to expect a trade arrangement immediately upon their return. She asked the head Committee member from the Texas settlement to represent her in her absence, which she assumed would be a month, maybe more. They then went through the dirty, but necessary plans for a military withdrawal and offensive strike if it should be needed.

They then went through succession arrangements just in case. Arrangements which would take effect temporarily for some positions but would be enacted into legal legislation if Dani or any or the team were not to return. There would be a Prosperitas wide vote to appoint a new Commander, but rule of law would remain as it always had, via the charter that had been drawn up some twenty years ago. The Commander would be a Committee title, with veto rights, but no military oversight. Hadrell’s next in command, a general based in Ohio would return to base and take over the military operations, and Evelyn’s chief engineer, Dr David Spencer would take over her role. Dr Yeo’s role as Chief of Medicine and head of the Augment medical team would remain unchallenged regardless of any other appointment changes.

The room became quiet as everyone absorbed the importance of these succession arrangements.

Dani then used the radio link to contact Hawaii, and within a few minutes Hectors voice came over the radio.

“Hector, it’s Dani here”

“Hi Dani, how goes the planning?”

“That’s actually why I’m calling you. I want you to know that I’m currently sitting in a conference with the 100 members of the Prosperitas Committee and we are all excited about the upcoming expedition. We expect to leave the West Coast in two days, and hopefully we’ll be there in a couple weeks, probably late June, but as we agreed, I’ll keep in regular radio contact to keep you updated.”

“Tell you what Dani. Our community is buzzing. We honestly can’t wait, and I genuinely hope this works out and we can be allies” he said with a smile in his voice.

“Now, before we leave, is there anything else you would like us to bring over, or is there anything pertinent you feel we need to know?” She asked.

There was a short pause.

“No. I honestly don’t think so. Just the items I mentioned earlier”

“Okay, no problems” Dani replied

“Oh! One thing” he said quickly

“Yes”

“Bring a bathing suit” he chuckled.

Dani and the Committee members all laughed back.

“See you in a few weeks Hector” Dani said.

“See you then Dani” he replied quickly and the line cut out.

Dani took a breath. This was it. The plan was a go.

There was an applause from everyone present and Dani started being approached by each Committee member in turn, wishing her a safe trip, and a speedy return. Quite a few members trickled over to Grace, Evelyn and Hadrell to extend their well wishes as well, but the main focus was on the Commander, as it should be.

***

The next day the four members of “Prosperitas Expedition 1” boarded a C5 bound for San Diego. The small chopper, the Jeep, the supplies for Hawaii, the extra two thousand gallons of fuel, and all of the crew’s personal luggage and supplies had been packed into the large aircraft.

For efficiency sake, Grace offered to pilot it, which left Hadrell as co-pilot and Dani and Evelyn and excited passengers.

Dani took a seat in the cockpit and watched in wrapped fascination as Grace easily manoeuvred the huge aircraft onto the runway and expertly put it into forward motion for take-off. Her attention 100% focused on her task.

Dani had a reflexive memory of the Grace from her past, with the same look of attention and focus when in the seat of the other C5, and she smiled briefly at the memory. The plane lifted off, and Dani paused, taking in the look on Grace’s face. She was a born pilot, and it was clear that she loved flight of any kind.

The plane reached cruising altitude and Grace flicked on the autopilot.

“about 40 minutes and we’ll begin descent” she said easily and Dani unbuckled her belt and kissed her quickly before disappearing to go stretch her legs and Evelyn followed.

Hadrell’s voice came over the headset “So, you and I are pretty much whipped hey Harper?”

Grace looked at him and they smiled together “100% sir. And happily so” she answered back through her mic.

He laughed and un-clipped his belt. “Well, I don’t know about you, but 45 minutes is more than enough time for me to go join the mile high club” He laughed at Grace’s surprised expression, and trotted off in search of the blonde doctor.

Grace smiled. It was good to see him so relaxed. He and Evelyn made an unlikely pair, but they seemed to fit really well. She was genuinely happy for them but she could definitely have gone without knowing what they were about to be doing somewhere in the plane very soon, she shifted in her seat and tried to think about something else.

Dani came back to the cockpit not long after Hadrell left. She stood behind the pilot’s seat and wrapped her hands over Graces shoulders.

Grace turned her seat around and Dani immediately sat in her lap.

“Soooo” Dani said somewhat innocently, then looked at Grace with a grin and leant in to kiss her “Evelyn kicked me out of the cargo hold so she and William could get busy” she said around the kiss. She reached for the button on Graces pants and easily undid it.

“Dani” Grace held her hand and looked past her to the door.

“Don’t worry mi amor” Dani whispered. “We can be quick” she pulled on Grace’s zip and Grace groaned. She picked Dani up and turned them around, putting Dani in the pilots seat. She quickly got down on her knees and pulled off Dani’s boots, unzipping her pants and pulled them down as Dani raised herself off the seat for a moment. Grace pulled her closer to the edge of the seat and guided Dani’s legs over her broad shoulders.

“Grace” Dani breathed and lay back into the seat as Grace’s hungry lips immediately latched onto her clit, and two fingers entered her smoothly. She grasped the armrests of the chair as Grace expertly worked her until her legs began to tremble. She arched her ass off the seat as her orgasm began and Grace stuck with her, gently bringing her back down with soothing kisses and soft strokes. Dani panted as she lowered herself back onto the seat.

“Quick enough for you my love” Grace said with a glint in her eyes as she helped lift Dani’s legs from off her shoulders, and grinned even wider when Dani silently nodded still trying to catch her breath. She moved her slightly uncooperative body off the chair and pulled her pants up.

Dani pulled her zip up then gave Grace a look that made her mouth go dry.

Dani silently pushed her tall lover against the door of the cockpit, got on her knees and stripped off Graces pants and shoes quickly. She pulled one of Graces legs up and over he own shoulder, spreading her wide, and Grace braced herself with one hand lightly on Dani’s dead, and the other firmly against the doorframe. Grace’s head fell back against the door as Dani’s lips and fingers found her now very wet centre and within minutes left her trembling, letting a long low moan out as she began to convulse against the fingers inside her.

“fuck” Grace breathed out, long and low as her orgasm washed over her quicker than she expected.

Dani smiled and placed tender kisses against Grace’s inner thighs. She set her leg back down and helped Grace pull her pants up, kissing her deeply as she stood, pushing her body firmly against her tall lover, letting her know that they’d take their time next time. 

Dani smiled cheekily “we might be able to fuck all night mi amor, but it’s also nice to know we can have a quickie when we have to” she kissed Grace once more and went to gather her shoes while Grace shakily pulled on her own.

Grace had just settled back into the pilots’ seat, Dani standing by her side, when there was a low knock at the door. Dani went to open it and let in William and Evelyn who looked calm and put together except for that fact that the normally impeccably presented French scientist, still had her shirt pulled outside of her skirt and her hair, always tousled and curly, was decidedly more so. Dani looked at them both and smiled a knowing smile. She looked pointedly at her friends unkept shirt and Evelyn immediately started pushing it back in as a slight blush rose to her cheeks.

Grace called out that they’d begin descending soon, and Hadrell casually made his way to the co-captains’ seat and buckled in, while Dani and Evelyn sat themselves in the seats set off to the sides.

Dani watched the two at the front as they easily began descent procedures. She noticed William grin over at Grace and punch her playfully on the shoulder, she watched Grace duck her head, but not before returning the grin.

 _‘fucking soldiers’_ Dani mentally rolled her eyes but smiled at the quick, playful interaction. Knowing full well that the two soldiers were congratulating each other. She glanced back at Evelyn and the two of them shared a knowing smile of their own, Evelyn laughed lightly and squeeze her hand, and Dani sighed happily, her heart was full and she was genuinely content, glad to be beginning this trip with people she called family.

She sat back in her seat and buckled in as Grace prepared the plane for landing. A quiet nervous excitement growing the closer they got to landing, the closer they got to their first contact with a new community, and hopefully, all going well, new allies for Prosperitas, and possibly even new friends.

 _“check your idealism for a minute kid, this is serious”_ She heard Sarah Connors voice in her head. And she smiled. It had been a long time since she’d heard her mentor in her head, and it seemed fitting that her voice would be the small sound of reason in the background as the plane touched down. There was a lot of hard work ahead of them, and if Sarah was here, she’d be telling her to focus on making sure they were safe, making sure the mission was on track, not daydreaming about idealistic possibilities.

Dani nodded silently to herself. Pleased on two levels. That she hadn’t completely lost the idealistic, optimistic activist inside of her, and that she hadn’t completely lost the grounding, cynical but necessary voice of her mentor who helped mould her into the Commander. She knew she would need that dichotomy with her on this trip. Serious and cynical, but hopeful, nonetheless.

She felt the light touch of Grace’s hand on her shoulder and she came back from her musings, smiling up at her lover’s excited face. She unclipped her belt and wrapped and arm around her partners waist as they disembarked together.

***


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani, Grace, William and Evelyn spend two weeks on a yacht on their way to meet the new community in Hawaii.  
> Obviously there's some plot here, but really, what do you get up to with two weeks on a yacht?

Dani and the team were escorted to awaiting vehicles and were taken to the dock where the gleaming behemoth of the Yacht was moored.

The jeep, supply trailer, fuel and chopper were all brought over within a half hour and Dani stood slightly dumbfounded as she watched her plan come to life before her eyes.

“People actually lived like this” she breathed out and shook her head at the extravagance of it all.

Grace grinned and started carrying their personal supplies inside, she took the stairs down to the lower deck and marvelled at the shiny wooden interior, the crisp white linen, the chrome trim on almost everything. She took the first bedroom and Hadrell took the next. Each room was appointed a generous queen bed, a closet, bedside tables, and an unexpectedly large bathroom with a shower.

She placed their bags on the bed and made her way further along the cabin, coming to a small but well stocked kitchen and dining table with a comfortable looking lounge. She climbed the stairs at the other end and came back to the upper deck. There was a small spa with several deck chairs and another very comfortable looking lounge. She walked back through the main cabin and came back to the rear of the upper deck which had been remodelled slightly. She could see that it was designed to dock three jet skis on the port side of the yacht, and a vehicle, given the inlayed wheel chocks, the winch, and the tungsten tie down points. It also came designed to hold the helicopter which was currently being secured to the hele-pad above the Skydeck.

It looked like the Prosperitas team had removed some of the decking and furniture to accommodate the supply trailer and the extra fuel tank. She noted the slightly different coloured decking and the newer looking tie-down fixtures. She climbed up to the Skydeck and blew out a breath. It looked like a nightclub. A bar, lounges, and two small wading pools at either end. Why anyone would need all of this on a boat was beyond her but she was definitely looking forward to lounging in the sun for a while with Dani.

Dani had asked that the onboard pools be emptied and covered over and solar panels to be fitted on each pool cover. They only had a crew of four and didn’t need nor want the added task of keeping the pools maintained, and the solar energy would allow the yacht to conserve a small amount of fuel by providing enough energy for on-board electrical and mechanical tasks. 

Grace used her RD to quickly scan the engine room and while doing so she noted that some of the walls of the yacht had been lined with the strong Legion alloy they used in the armour of their vehicles. She saw a rail gun under the cover of the small pool at the bow of the boat and two more on the lower deck, one port and one starboard. She also saw the drop down metal window coverings for all windows around the upper and lower decks. She noted the DNA scanners at the cabin entry, disarmed for now. 

She nodded and placed her hands on her hips. Satisfied with the layout and security measures that Hadrell and his team had taken.

She felt Dani’s hands come wrap around her from behind.

“Does it get your stamp approval Captain” Dani asked and kissed her between her shoulder blades.

Grace smiled and shrugged her shoulders “I guess” she turned in her partners embrace “I mean if you had to travel by boat for two weeks, this one isn’t so bad” She placed a quick kiss on Dani’s lips and trotted back down to the lower deck where the bridge was. She wanted to get accustomed to the new-old tech she and Hadrell would be operating. Hadrell was already inside flicking through the manuals and sitting back in the captains’ chair.

Dani and Evelyn roamed the yacht and started to unpack. Some of the San Diego crew helped stock the yacht with the food and supplies they’d need over the next few weeks. They helped strap down the vehicles and took Grace and Hadrell through a series of engine tests, emergency protocols, and security procedures, before confirming everything was a go.

Dani had organised one last conference before they departed in the morning. So, they all headed into the temporary comms room and took their seats.

Dani and a few dozen of the Committee members went over the upcoming plans again. They went over the succession measures again. And they went over the emergency evacuation and possible airstrike plans again. Grace knew that the plans were all cemented in Dani’s head, but this was part of the procedure. A reassurance of sorts.

Despite everyone’s clear capability and expertise in their fields, this would be the first time that the Commander was out of contact and off the mainland since the war began. Even when she and Dani had taken their short break together after the war, Dani made sure to check in at each outpost they passed and had regularly made contact with Hadrell. This would be the first time that nobody on the mainland would know where she was or how she was until their scheduled weekly contact, or unless she or a member of the team made emergency contact.

Grace could tell that almost everyone at the meeting was on edge or uncomfortable to some degree. Everyone except the four of them. She took a moment to appreciate the fact that she’d be with Dani and would therefore not have to experience the uncertainty and discomfort of her absence. She knew that Prosperitas would be fine without their Commander for a few weeks, but firsts were always a little difficult, and everyone was being extra vigilant. Making sure a plan was in place for any eventuality. But of course, they all knew that you couldn’t plan for the unknown, and that’s what was setting them all on edge.

Grace sat back and listened to her partner allay fears, reiterate instructions, patiently go over procedures for a third or fourth time. Addressing concerns even if she’d already done so. She was so proud of Dani in that moment. The way she led everyone seemed so effortless, had almost always seemed so effortless, even during the war, even though Grace knew that was far from the truth. Dani always seemed to have a clear goal, a clear plan, and she had a way of making those plans and visions come to life either by sheer force of will, or by skilfully organising the people around her.

And this was no different. A year ago, they were still fighting the last stages of the war with Legion, and now, they were about to embark on a trip to connect them with another group of survivors thousands of miles away. It was mindboggling to Grace, so she assumed that it was pretty much the same for everyone else, except for Dani who was always thinking steps ahead of everyone else.

She sighed quietly and felt her heart fill with love for Dani, an almost overwhelming sense of connection, of being needed, and needing, verging on possession, but more than that. She knew Dani held a piece of her just as she held a piece of Dani, they belonged with, rather than to, each other, and it felt wonderful and right, and yes, sometimes consuming.

Dani felt Grace’s gaze and smiled, she turned to look at her and caught her breath, letting herself feel some of the love radiating off her partner. Her stomach filled with butterflies instantly, and she suddenly wanted nothing more than to finish the meetings so she could go to Grace.

“Okay everyone” she said soundly “We all know what our jobs are for the next few weeks so let’s get this done” the room signalled its agreement and she closed the video link and allowed the room to empty except for the four of them.

She walked over to where Grace sat and placed her hands over her shoulders, needing to connect with her.

“Is there anything you think I’ve missed or need to go over again?” She asked her three friends in-front of her.

Hadrell spoke. “We’ll need to set up the DNA scanner for the access points to the yacht and the helo, so I’d like to get that sorted tonight if possible, but other than that, the only thing Harper and I need to do is figure out who gets first turn at the helm” he smiled and Grace laughed.

“I’ll play you for it” she smirked.

“You’re on!” Hadrell grinned and stood. “but first the scanners” he said “I can’t get too shitfaced before programming them” he smirked.

They all made their way back to the yacht, past the small guard detail on the dock, and boarded what was to be their home for the next few weeks. There were 6 DNA scanners in total. One at each of the main entry points to the lower deck which led to the cabins and bridge, another on the bridge to operate the yacht, another for the emergency lockdown access, one at the door to the engine-room, and another on board the chopper. They were all identical to the one on the private elevator access to Dani and Graces quarters. Hadrell ensured everyone had access to all 5 scanners which meant that they all had to take turns having a drop of their blood drawn by the small touchpad at each scanner. The whole process took almost an hour in total and Evelyn was letting French expletives fly by the end of it.

Hadrell chuckled and wrapped her up as she gingerly sucked on her now quite sore thumb. He kissed her neck and then kissed her thumb and then kissed her lips tenderly.

Grace shuffled and pulled Dani down the staircase and into the lower deck where she sat on the long sofa and sighed. Dani lay herself down on the sofa and put her head in Grace’s lap and smiled.

“How’s your thumb” Grace asked Dani jokingly and pulled her hand close to inspect it before placing a gentle kiss on it and wrapping her fingers around her hand.

“My thumb will recover, but I thought that meeting would never end” Dani groaned.

Grace laughed again “Dani, it only went so long because you were patient with them all, you could have ended that meeting at least an hour before you did”

Dani smiled and nodded “I just want everyone to feel like they’re supported and trusted”

“I know” Grace said softly and bent to place a kiss on Dani’s lips. The kiss deepened and Dani shifted so that she was straddling Grace’s lap.

She ran her fingers through Graces hair and pulled back a little, taking in her deep blue eyes and her beautiful face before dipping her head back down. They both moaned into the kiss as their tongues pushed and explored deeper.

Grace moved her hands from Dani’s back to her hair and ran her fingers through it, grasping a handful she pulled gently and exposed Dani’s neck to her hungry mouth.

“Have I told you that I love that you’re letting your hair grow back out” Grace breathed and pulled harder as Dani groaned.

She stood up and Dani instantly wrapped her legs around Grace’s hips.

Grace carried them to their room, not wanting William or Evelyn to walk in on them.

She lay Dani on the bed and quickly pulled Dani’s shoes and pants off, letting Dani take off her shirt as she pulled off her own clothes. She felt that same overwhelming surge of love as she looked down on her naked lover. She climbed on top of her and Dani tried to flip her, but she smiled and held firm. She settled her body on top of Dani’s, revelling as she always did in the feel of her soft skin against hers.

She braced herself on her elbows and dipped her head to kiss Dani’s tender pulse point and Dani responded with a twitch of her hips. She captured Dani’s mouth again and they moved together on the bed for long minutes, enjoying their connection, the feel of their bodies against each other.

Dani broke the kiss and dropped her head back as Grace’s fingers found her wet centre and gently worked through her soft folds. She wrapped her legs around her partners hips and dug her nails into her back. Moaning softly as Grace rocked against her.

Grace caught her lips again and swallowed Dani’s moan as she entered her, first with two, then three fingers. She kept her rocking steady and slow, and kept her kiss deep and gentle. Tenderly bringing Dani closer to the edge stroke by stroke.

Dani broke their kiss again and arched back against the bed. Her legs tightening and trembling against Grace’s hips.

Grace watched her lover and waited for her to open her eyes. When they connected, she whispered, “Come for me Dani” and Dani’s eyes fluttered closed again as the powerful orgasm rippled through her body. Grace buried her head in the crook of Dani’s neck and placed soft kisses along the tender skin as she felt Dani’s body shake against hers. Her inner walls tightening around her fingers, her stomach clenching as she arched into Graces body.

Grace spread her legs and lowered herself onto Dani’s firm thigh, breathing hard at the contact. She pulled Dani’s arms up over her head and intertwined their fingers. She rocked into Dani’s thigh and Dani raised it slightly, giving her lover the contact she needed. Grace ground herself against the firm thigh at her centre, she rolled her hips over and over, capturing Dani’s lips again as she felt herself near her climax, her belly coiled, ready to release. She squeezed Dani’s hands in hers and bore down once more before her body arched hard and she groaned into Dani’s mouth. Releasing her hands so she could carry her weigh as her body rocked through the waves of pleasure.

Dani brought her hands back up around her lovers sweaty back and held her firmly as she came back down.

Grace broke their kiss and dropped her head back to Dani’s neck. Catching her breath and breathing in her lover’s scent as the last aftershocks washed through her.

Dani gently stroked Graces long, powerful back, just enjoying the weight of her on top of her, enjoying the feel of every inch of skin she could get her hands on.

Grace sighed and rolled onto her side, bringing Dani’s body with her. She propped herself up on an elbow and stroked Dani’s sweaty cheek, wrapping her fingers behind her neck and pulling her into another deep kiss.

Dani felt herself respond instantly to Grace but before they could continue, there was a loud knock on their door and Hadrell called out “Dinner in 10”

They broke their kiss and grinned. Knowing that he knew, and therefore Evelyn probably knew what they were doing and he had likely waited for them to finish before knocking.

Dani laughed and Grace rolled her eyes. They were gong to be spending the next two weeks together on a boat with not much to do. She and William both had enhanced aural capabilities, so she was just going to have to get used to the fact that they would occasionally hear each other.

Grace groaned and rolled over as she rubbed her face and tried to brush off her embarrassment. Dani got up and quickly washed up and put on the clothes she’d been wearing before. She kissed Grace squarely and pulled her of the bed, waiting for her to do the same.

They exited their cabin and walked the short distance to the kitchen and dining area.

Evelyn smiled at the two lovers as they sat down opposite her.

Hadrell happily placed four large plates down in front of them. “home made fish and chips” he said with pride. “Thought it was a fitting dinner for our first night on board” he grinned.

Grace’s stomach grumbled and with that the four friends devoured their dinner. Arguing playfully over the use of ketchup (or what passed as ketchup in the new world) or vinegar over their chips.

Evelyn placed a hand over her full stomach and sighed happily.

Hadrell leaned back and looked at Grace “So” he said with a challenge in his voice “who gets the bridge first?”

“Blackjack” Grace answered evenly and Hadrell grinned and grabbed the deck of cards from the overhead compartment.

“Best of seven” Hadrell asked and Grace nodded.

He pulled out a whisky bottle and everyone groaned. “If you bust, you do a shot”

Dani held up her hands “I’m spectating” and Evelyn quickly followed suite. They grinned at each other as their competitive partners leant forward to begin.

Hadrell handed Dani the deck “just so she can’t say I cheated when I win” he grinned.

Dani dealt them two cards each. Hadrell held, and Grace asked for another. Grace went bust at 24, Hadrell won at 18. Grace took a breath and downed a shot.

The next two hands went to William again and Grace was felling a little warm by that stage.

She won the next, getting 21, while Hadrell bust at 24 and he downed a shot quickly.

The following two went to Grace and Hadrell caught up with the shots.

Dani looked at the clock. They’d each consumed three shots in less than 15 minutes. She smirked at Evelyn.

“Best of 11” Hadrell called out, nervous at his current losing streak.

Grace nodded silently again, and Dani dealt.

Over the next ten minutes Grace threw back two more shots and William three. He shook her hand and congratulated her on the helm in the morning.

Grace and William both stood and they both reached out for the rail closest to them.

“You do know that you two just finished half a bottle in less than half an hour” Dani said with a smile in her voice.

“And?” Grace asked defiantly, despite suddenly not feeling too steady on the shifting boat.

Hadrell just groaned and made his way to their room where he gingerly lay himself on the bed.

Dani and Evelyn shared a laugh and Dani followed Grace to their room.

“Oh-six-hundred tomorrow” Dani called out. 

She waited for Grace to sit herself on the bed before going to lock up the two Cabin doors for the night.

She got back to the room and Grace had managed to crawl under the covers fully clothed. She smiled and got under the covers too but removed her clothes first. Grace sleepily pulled Dani against her and nuzzled her neck.

“How’re you feeling?” Dani asked through a grin.

Grace groaned “Tell the boat to stop rocking and I’ll be fine”

Dani laughed and turned around “You know the worst thing about this” she asked seriously.

Grace cracked an eyelid

“You’ll be totally sober in a couple hours! If Evelyn or I played that game, you wouldn’t be seeing either of us until tomorrow afternoon” she sighed half in amusement half in frustration.

Grace smiled “sorry?” she shrugged her shoulders and laughed as Dani playfully punched her in the shoulder. “Come here” She crooned and tucked Dani back against her.

Dani smiled as she felt her lover become heavy against her, and within a few minutes she too was asleep.

***

Dani woke early in the morning, not to her alarm, but to Graces warm wandering hand. She smiled and stretched into the contact and gasped as Grace dipped her hand between her legs and started stroking her. She reached back and grabbed a handful of Graces hair and Grace bit gently into her neck. Grace pulled away quickly and rounded the bed. She grabbed Dani’s ankles and pulled her down to the edge of the bed where she dropped to her knees and guided Dani’s legs over her shoulders.

“Grace” Dani breathed quickly, still not fully awake, and surprised by her lovers’ need.

Grace dipped her head and licked and sucked on Dani’s folds until they were engorged and slick. She latched onto her clit and entered her with two fingers, expertly stroking her into an unexpected but powerful full body orgasm.

Dani’s legs clamped down around Grace’s neck and her body arched off the bed. She threw her arm over her face to try and muffle her moans and Grace kept sucking on her clit and tipped her into a second, sharper orgasm.

Dani was trying to catch her breath when the alarm on Graces watch went off and she happily pulled herself back on top of Dani and kissed her “Good morning” she said with a big smile.

Dani couldn’t help but return the smile even though she was still coming down from her climax “morning” she breathed “What time is it” she asked, her arms still too boneless for her to try and move them.

“5am” Grace said, and stroked Dani’s hair back from her face, kissing her gently again.

“I wanted us to have breakfast together before we headed out” she said.

“Do we have time for a shower” Dani asked and laughed as Grace frowned in mock offense.

Grace pulled Dani up from the bed and they turned the shower on. She heard the pumps begin somewhere in the engine room and within a second, hot water poured out of the shower head. The boat had been fitted with liquid soap so Grace squeezed a few pumps and started lathering Dani up. Dani turned around and began doing the same for Grace.

“Nervous?” Grace asked

“A little” Dani nodded and let the water wash through her hair. She turned her tall partner around and started washing down her back. “you?”

Grace shook her head “Excited” she smiled and turned back around, embracing Dani tightly under the hot water.

They enjoyed a moment of quiet connection before Grace flicked off the water and handed Dani a towel.

They emerged from their room to find the main cabin empty. Grace flicked on the coffee pot and opened the rear door to the lower deck, letting in the fresh air.

Grace came back to the living area and paused for a moment, shaking her head as though to clear it.

“What’s wrong?” Dani asked

Grace squared her jaw and looked flatly at Dani “nothing” she accessed her RD and switched off her audio enhancements temporarily. She smiled, a little embarrassed back at her lover “seems that William enjoys morning sex too”

Dani covered her mouth and tried not to laugh. She wrapped her arms around Grace and kissed her lovers’ hot cheek “Do you think they heard us?” she whispered.

Grace smiled and nodded “William would have” she shrugged her shoulders “I can’t listen to them” she waved her hand in the air “do that” she smiled “so I just turned my augment off”

Dani grinned and watched Grace turn her concentration to the kitchen. 

“Scrambled eggs on toast?” Grace asked and Dani nodded, happily accepting the coffee her partner poured for her.

Their yacht had ample supplies of frozen bread, powdered eggs, porridge and cereal which would be their breakfast staples. Bruce had eagerly organised a dozen pre-made frozen dinners for them, and they had plenty of frozen meat and canned produce, so they knew they’d be well fed on their journey. They had some fresh produce with them, fruit and vegetables, fresh juice and milk, and had decided to spread that out over the next few days to enjoy it.

Hadrell and Evelyn emerged from their room as the smell of coffee wafted through the cabin. Both expressing their thanks for the liquid gold.

Grace served up the simple breakfast and Dani smiled as she watched her lover wolf down her food in order to get to the bridge.

“Go” Dani laughed as Grace finished and looked up at her eagerly. Hadrell gave the same look to Evelyn and se shooed him away.

The two soldiers made their way onto the bridge, went through the start-up procedures and went over the rout they’d be navigating again.

Grace pressed her thumb to the scanner and then pressed the ignition button and the yacht rumbled to life.

“Cast off” she said to Hadrell who went to loosen the ties keeping it moored to the dock.

Grace retracted the anchor automatically from the helm. And smiled as she felt the engine and the rudders through the wheel in her hands.

Dani and Evelyn came into the bridge and William followed.

Grace nodded at Dani who nodded back. Grace pushed the throttle open and they smoothly moved forward and away from the dock.

Dani went outside to the back of the lower deck and watched as the San Diego shoreline slowly blurred into the distance, becoming the California coastline.

She came back into the cabin and turned on the radio, contacting Hector to advise him they’d just left the West Coast. She then contacted the Base to advise of a successful departure and wished them well over the coming weeks.

She sat back, a little at a loss. From here until they arrived, William and Grace would be doing most of the work. She’d gone over her plans for engaging the new community a hundred times, and there was literally nothing important for her to do. “Huh” She said in surprise, wondering why she felt so uncomfortable with the idea.

Grace came out from the bridge and at the questioning look on Dani’s face she quickly reassured her “autopilot” she dumped herself next to her partner and wrapped an arm around her. “A lot of this trip will be autopilot but William and I will still take 8 hour rotations” she kissed the top of Dani’s head “But we will have a lot of free time between” Grace felt Dani thinking “what’s up?” she said and kissed her partners head gently again.

Dani took a breath “I think this might be the first time in probably over thirty years that I haven’t had an actual role to play” she scoffed again.

“Of course you have a role” Grace replied.

Dani turned around and faced Grace, putting her hands on her thighs “No. I mean. Right now. For the next couple of weeks, I have no meetings, no missions, no briefings, no plans, I don’t need to be on alert, I don’t need to check in at outposts, I don’t need to drive, or carry a weapon; I have no real role or responsibility while we are on this boat” Dani said somewhat perplexed.

“Annnnnd?” Grace asked with a smile “The problem being?”

Dani blew out a breath “I don’t know” she laughed. “I’ve just never felt untethered from responsibility before and it’s a little unnerving to be honest”

Grace nodded “I can see how that would be” then she squeezed Dani’s hands lovingly “But if I can make a suggestion?” Dani nodded “Enjoy it” Grace smiled “because when we get to Hawaii, that’s when the real work will begin, and that’s where you’re going to be needed more than ever”

Dani blew out a breath and nodded “I’ll try”

Grace laughed “Take Evelyn up to the Skydeck and get some sun” she pulled herself out from her seat and headed to the bridge again “love you” she called over her shoulder.

Dani smiled and watched Grace retreat. She grabbed a book from the overhead cabinet and headed up to the Skydeck. Some sun and some reading actually did sound nice. She smiled when she found Evelyn already reclined in one of the deck chairs.

***

Dani and Grace revelled in their relative freedom together, they made love at every opportunity they could, almost as though it were an impromptu honeymoon. They snorkelled and swam in the ocean, accompanied occasionally by dolphins who had played around the yacht for most of their trip. They came to investigate their new playmates and Grace in particular loved these moments. She hadn’t ever seen wild sea life and getting to be so close to the gentle creatures was quickly becoming one of her most favourite tings to do during their downtime.

One morning Grace raced up to the sky deck to get Dani. Excitement clear in her eyes.

“What?” Dani smiled and stood.

Grace smiled broadly and pointed out to the starboard side of the vessel and Dani gasped as a large hump back whale surfaced a mere 20 or 30 metres from the Yacht. She gasped again as its calf surfaced next to her, and they both submerged again.

Grace quickly removed her pants and shoes.

“Grace, you aren’t seriously …” Dani asked but watched in amazement as her beautiful excited partner dove off the very high deck and into the blue water below.

She emerged a minute later and Dani could hear her laughter before she dived back under the water.

The humpback and her calf surfaced gently again, and Grace bobbed on the surface, keeping her distance from the giant creatures but fascinated just the same.

As they went back under, so too did Grace and Dani blew out a breath, a little nervous but happy to see her lover so happy.

“She’s pretty incredible oui?” Evelyn came up beside Dani and smiled. “such a dichotomy between the Augment and her natural inquisitive, playful side”

Dani smiled and nodded “ _Si_ ” It was one of the things she loved most about Grace. She was fearless both in battle and in her search for joy.

Grace broke the surface of the water again and called out to Dani to look and pointed further out. 

Within a few seconds both the mother and her calf breached powerfully out of the water, splashing down heavily.

Both Evelyn and Dani smiled in awe as the two whales repeated this behaviour for a few minutes before a third adult whale joined them

Grace laughed, excitement clear in her voice “I think they were communicating!” She pulled herself out of the water onto the lower deck and ran back up to the sky deck. Breathless, her eyes filled with awe.

Dani laughed playfully trying to push her cold wet body away as Grace embraced her.

Evelyn couldn’t help but laugh at their interaction. She removed herself silently, thinking of the changes she’d seen in her friend since Grace had come into her life. She was softer, quicker to laugh, and even playful at times. She smiled, grateful for Grace’s presence.

The whales paid them occasional attention for the next few days before departing for possibly warmer waters. The dolphins were frequent visitors and would skip through the water in front of or next to the yacht as it moved.

Dani and Grace continued to pass time together swimming, reading quietly in bed together, cooking meals with Evelyn and William, and making love whenever the mood struck, which was often. Life became a little routine of bliss, but after around ten days on the water Dani started to get restless.

They were making good time, they were past the half-way point and Dani again felt like she should be doing something, preparing in some way even though she knew they were about as prepared as they could be.

Grace and William had done almost all the heavy work for the last week and a half, and Dani felt the weight of responsibility slowly descending closer and closer to her shoulders with each day, but Grace would sense her lovers anxiety and wrap her up and sooth her, allay her concerns and distract her in various ways, mostly in ways that involved them naked somewhere on the Yacht.

On one such afternoon Grace found Dani pacing their room anxiously going over notes for the upcoming meeting between the two settlements. Grace, relatively unnoticed, fumbled around in their closet for a minute, disappeared inside the bathroom for a few minutes then came out and took Dani’s hand leading her up to the sky deck. She discretely told Hadrell that the deck was taken for the afternoon, meaning that the rest of the ship was his and Evelyn’s if he wanted.

Grace got to the Sky-deck, dropped her bag, pulled Dani into her arms and lifted her top off. She pulled off her shorts and underwear. Grace then pulled her soft textile belt and wrapped it around Dani’s wrists.

Grace pulled Dani close and Dani felt a bulge in Grace’s pants and bit her lip. “Grraaace” Dani spoke softly “what are you doing” she smiled.

“Taking your mind off things for a while” Grace answered and pulled off her own top but kept her pants on, taking a length of rope from one of the pockets of her pants. 

Dani looked at Graces crotch and moved toward her to touch her, but Grace held her hand against her chest and pushed her firmly back against the wide chrome post that supported the roof of the bar. She pulled Dani’s bound hands up and easily tied them off to the cross beam above the post. Dani closed her eyes and felt herself get instantly wet. She loved it when Grace decided to play like this, to dominate her. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, Grace’s sheer physicality, focus, and intensity made Dani’s knees weak.

Grace was a soldier, she was naturally physically intimidating and intense, but with Dani she was gentle and soft, and accommodating.

Dani was the Commander. Not as physically intimidating as Grace, but fierce and powerful nonetheless, and much more used to being outwardly fierce and powerful.

Dani had close to ten years on Grace, which didn’t seem matter in the least in their relationship, but it did mean that Dani had had time to cultivate and experiment and explore her sexuality and her desires a little longer than Grace had. She had become the Commander when Grace was just a teenager. As the Commander, she experimented with the intoxicating effect that power had in the bedroom.

The sense on power Dani carried with her in briefing rooms and battlefields often carried itself into her bedroom, and she was well practiced at using that power. She’d never really let anybody dominate her before Grace. She never felt safe to do so with any of her partners during the war. She may have with Evelyn, but bondage and kink wasn’t Evelyn’s thing. So, when Dani played rough, she always played on top. Until Grace.

In the beginning of their relationship there was an unbalanced power dynamic between them, Dani had been in charge her whole life, so without conscious thought, Grace had become more submissive and accommodating, but Dani had tried hard to remove or at least dampen that power dynamic in their personal time. And, accordingly, Grace had begun to experiment with that a little more.

The first time Grace had fucked her from behind, using a scarf to choke her, Dani had almost lost her mind, she quickly discovered that she actually wanted to be dominated by Grace. She wanted Grace’s beautiful, powerful body to take her, she wanted Grace to be fierce with her. So, on the rare occasion that Grace felt like playing like this, she eagerly let herself get carried away in Grace’s fantasy.

Her heart raced as Grace looked at her calmly, her icy blue eyes taking her in, inch by inch.

Grace leant in and kissed Dani deeply, pressing her body against her firmly, letting the bulge in her pants rub against Dani’s pelvis. Dani moaned at the contact and tried to bring her legs up around Graces hips but Grace backed away a step and smiled silently.

Dani breathed heavily and locked eyes with her lovers’.

“How many orgasms would it take for you to stop thinking about the mission Dani?” Grace asked dangerously “four?” she quirked an eyebrow “five?” Dani moaned and pulled against her restraints.

Grace nodded quietly “let’s start with five”

She dropped to her knees and pulled Dani onto her shoulders. Quickly latching onto her clit and pulling hard. Dani threw her head back and groaned. Grace had taken all her weight. She cupped Dani’s ass and sucked and licked Dani’s clit until she was trembling. Dani arched into the quick orgasm and Grace let her ride it out on her shoulders, remaining quiet the whole time.

“One” she said quietly.

She dipped her head again, this time using long gentle strokes against Dani’s folds. She entered her with two fingers and Dani dropped her head forward. She used her strong abdominal muscles to swing her pelvis against Grace’s lips and fingers. The combined stimulation at her centre and her activated stomach muscles set of the beginning of another orgasm, one which Grace completed with a few quick thrusts of her fingers. Again, Grace let Dani arch and tremble through her climax while balanced on her shoulders.

“Two” she said and stood, letting the rope pull against Dani’s arms again.

She undid the zip of her pants and pulled the end of the dildo out and Dani caught her breath. It was the one that had become their favourite to play with. The harnessed double ended toy. Half of which was now buried inside Grace. 

Grace held the toy at Dani’s opening and slid it through her wet folds a few times, letting it get thoroughly lubricated. She then seamlessly guided it inside Dani and pushed it to its hilt.

“yesssssss” Dani hissed and wrapped her legs around Graces hips. She tried to pull her hips back but Grace pressed into her, not letting her have any control over the movement of the toy inside her.

Grace grasped Dani’s breasts gently at first, then harder, using them as an anchor of sorts as she began moving her hips slowly.

Dani couldn’t think straight. She wanted to be fucked harder, but she also wanted Grace to have control. She squeezed her legs and pulled herself harshly down onto the toy and groaned.

Grace quirked a smile “not too rough too soon Dani or we’ll never get to five” she kissed her deeply and continued with her long slow thrusts. Pulling and rolling Dani’s nipples as she moved.

“Grace” Dani panted as her legs began to tremble “I’m coming” and her mouth opened in a silent moan as her body arched against her lover, her inner walls clenching around the toy inside her, sending powerful contractions through her body.

“Three” Grace whispered into Dani’s ear as she sucked on her tender pulse point. Grace’s own centre clamping down around the shaft inside her as she silently rode out her own orgasm.

‘uuugnhhhhh” Dani moaned incoherently as Grace kept her pace with the toy. She felt Grace reach into her pants again but was too delirious to pay attention to what she was doing. Each thrust of the toy sent a jolt of pleasure through her body and she was focused on the next wave which had already begun to build low in her belly.

Grace lifted Dani’s legs higher by wrapping her arms underneath her knees, again taking her weight and some of the strain off Dani’s body. But what Dani didn’t realise was that it also allowed Grace to position the tip of the anal beads perfectly at Dani’s tight entrance.

“Fuck” Dani yelled as the first bead slipped in and her head dropped forward. She was on the brink.

Grace slid the remaining four in and Dani catapulted into a full body orgasm, which again intensified as Grace continued to slowly rock inside her.

“Four” Grace said with a smile as Dani shook and panted.

Grace drew Dani’s shaking legs around her hips again and pulled her hands through Dani’s sweaty hair, pulling the wet strands back from her face.

Grace’s jaw was clenched as she stared into her lovers’ eyes. She surged forward roughly and Dani opened her mouth in pleasure.

“This is what you want, isn’t it?” she pulled back and rammed her hips forward again, pulling Dani’s hair harshly and exposing her neck. Grace kissed and bit into the delicate flesh.

“Yesssss” Dani groaned as her lover pushed into her roughly.

Grace repositioned her feet slightly and Dani’s stomach curled. Grace reached around and placed her hand around Dani’s neck and Dani let her head fall back, giving Grace complete access. Grace squeezed gently and Dani moaned. She pushed the toy back inside quickly and Dani jerked. Dani opened her eyes and locked onto Graces fierce blue. Grace began to pump her hips in earnest keeping Dani in place partly with her own body, partly with the hand at her hip, and partly with the hand at her neck.

She pumped quickly and harshly and with each thrust Dani let out a guttural moan, so she thrust harder. She watched as Dani’s mouth opened wide and her head tilted back again, signalling the beginning of her climax, and Grace pressed her thumb and middle finger over Dani’s carotid arteries holding tightly but gently as she stroked the toy a few more times and Dani’s eyes fluttered closed as her body trembled almost violently. Grace immediately let go of her neck and took Dani’s weight again by scoping her arms under Dani’s knees.

“Five” Grace grunted as her inner walls tightened and sent her into her second orgasm.

She surged back into Dani as her body clenched and continued to do so until Dani was moaning incoherently again. She lifted Dani’s legs higher and smoothly guided the dildo in and out of her trembling lover waiting for her to signal another release, and sure enough after a few moments she pulled on her arm restraints and locked her trembling legs around Grace. Her glassy eyes finding Grace’s as the heat in her belly started to build again.

“Grace” Dani panted.

Grace reached down and pulled out two beads and Dani’s entire body jerked and arched as her orgasm began to uncoil. Grace pulled the remaining beads out of her lover and Dani screamed her release and lost all control over her body. Her arms became limp and her legs lost their grip around Grace but her stomach, and her inner walls contracted powerfully as the intense full body orgasm washed over her.

Grace held Dani close and quickly pulled on the tie holding Dani’s arms and guided her onto the floor, never losing contact, never letting the toy slide from inside her. She lay herself on top of her writhing lover and let her own orgasm flow over her, she groaned into Dani’s soft neck, the sight and sound of Dani in rapture enough to tip her over.

When she’d regained some of her senses, Grace unbound Dani’s wrists and lay there, quietly, kissing the parts of her sweaty body she could reach.

“Six” she spoke and sucked gently on Dani’s earlobe.

Dani groaned and laughed then groaned again. Her body still hadn’t stopped arching and contracting through the aftershocks, but Grace’s heavy weight and gentle kisses slowly brough her back to herself.

“Fuck” she breathed out slowly.

Grace laughed and Dani gasped as the toy moved inside of her again.

Grace reached between them and gently pulled it out of her lover before settling her body back. She loved surrounding her partner like this, loved burying her head in Dani’s neck as she felt her heartbeat slowly return to normal.

Dani sighed. And Grace smiled. It was her sigh that meant she had settled herself.

Grace picked her head up and looked into Dani’s dark eyes. She kissed her deeply and waited for Dani to move her arms around her shoulders and through her hair.

Grace let her own sigh out through the kiss and Dani smiled.

“So I counted two for you mi amor” Dani said with a quirked brow.

“Three” Grace countered and smiled back, she whispered into Dani’s ear “I’ve learned how to come quietly, remember”

Dani pulled Grace closer and captured her lips again, remembering the silent orgasm she had put Grace through while having dinner with their friends. It had almost made her come to watch Grace control herself like that, and the thought of it was starting to turn her on again.

Grace felt her lovers’ pulse speed up and pulled back and looked Dani seriously in the eyes.

“I’ll make it seven if you can be silent?”

Dani bit her lip and closed her eyes. God how she wanted Grace.

“Dani” Grace asked in a slightly louder voice “can you be silent?”

Dani nodded and Grace rolled them over.

She sat up and guided the toy back into Dani’s tight went centre.

Dani almost made a sound but Grace shook her head “uh-uh”

She pulled Dani onto her and lay herself back down.

“Work for it” she said and lay her hands gently over Dani’s hips.

Dani began to tremble almost immediately. The fire behind Grace’s eyes, the sound of command in her voice.

She slowly began to ride the shaft inside of her. Breathing through the jolts of electricity shooting through her body, not letting any sound past her lips.

Grace started to shift her hips to enhance the pleasure and Dani leant forward, bracing herself against Graces strong shoulders.

She lifted herself slightly off the toy, and Grace arched her back and started to pump her hips rapidly. Dani almost groaned but stopped herself, instead she dropped her head as her body began to shake harder.

Grace reached between them and stroked Dani’s clit with each stroke of the toy and within seconds Dani was trembling silently, her body arching as it rode through another climax. Dani pulled herself completely off the toy and dumped her body onto Graces, biting into her shoulder as her body shook and twitched uncontrollably.

Grace wrapped a strong arm around her waist. And snaked the other up her spine, letting her fingers cup the back of Dani’s head which was still buried in her shoulder as she let out shuddered breaths.

“Seven” Grace whispered and smiled as Dani let the full weight of her body rest against her.

Dani was completely spent and couldn’t control the small aftershocks that kept coursing through her. Grace picked her up and took them to the comfortable sofa and drew a light blanket over Dani. She quickly stripped off her pants and unclipped the harness and gently removed toy inside of her. She put the toys and rope in the bag and gathered their clothes closer to the sofa before crawling in behind her.

Dani had her eyes closed and was still controlling her breathing. Her legs and arms trembled from fatigue so Grace gently massaged away at the limbs she could reach until Dani was able to breath normally.

Dani opened her eyes and Grace pulled her in closer. Brushing away the tear that tracked it way down her nose.

“You okay?” Grace hugged her tight and asked.

Dani nodded “more than” and turned around in the embrace. She guided Grace flat against the sofa and she curled into her side, laying her head in the crook of her shoulder and placed her arm over her waist.

She closed her eyes and her fatigued body pulled her into a deep, exhausted sleep.

Graces put her arm under her head and smiled to herself smugly _‘mission accomplished’_ but within a few minutes, she too was drifting off to sleep.

***

Grace woke several hours later to the sound of William calling her from downstairs. She jolted upright and looked at the previously blue sky above them which was now grey and ominous. She gently shook Dani awake and helped her get dressed. Grace had just finished clipping her belt back on when William poked his head up and told them to get below.

Grace picked up their bag and helped Dani toward the stairs. The sea had become choppy and the yacht had started to roll a little.

Dani and Grace made their way to the bridge, Grace throwing their bag into their room along the way.

Evelyn smiled knowingly as they entered and Dani tried to tidy her hair but ended up pulling it back with the elastic she always wore around her wrist.

William called Grace toward the sonar and she looked at the approaching storm. “Shit”

“What is it?” Dani asked.

“A storm, a big one. We’re going to have to skirt around it but it’s still going to get pretty choppy” Grace said seriously.

Dani nodded “Anything we can do?”

Grace smiled at her partner and shook her head. “we can navigate around it pretty easily. But it just means William and I will be on the bridge until it passes”

Dani nodded and moved toward the door. “Then Eve and I can make us some food”

Grace smiled and nodded. Dani returned with a glass of water for them both before disappearing back into the main living area.

Grace was busy chugging hers down when William leant in and quietly asked

“how the bloody hell do you give a woman six orgasms?!”

Grace spat onto her glass and choked. She put her glass down and William thumped her a couple times between her shoulder blades while she violently coughed

“You okay?” Dani called from the kitchen.

“She’s fine” William called back.

Grace wiped at her mouth and brushed the spilled water from the tabletop.

Hadrell chuckled, and then laughed. He doubled over and had to sit down.

“Real funny” Grace whispered and pulled her wet top away from her skin. She leant close to him and whispered seriously “And. It was seven” she said with a raised brow.

His laughter stopped and his face reddened, and Grace smiled smugly down at him.

He cleared his throat “Right” and stood, taking the wheel.

Grace kept smiling until the first big swell hit the yacht and almost threw her into the consol.

She made her way to the living area and asked Eve and Dani to pack away anything loose and secure themselves. It was likely going to be a bumpy hour or more.

The storm lasted well into the night but the swells eventually decreased and William and Grace decided it was safe to put the yacht back into autopilot and join their partners for a meal.

Dani and Evelyn had defrosted what they thought would be the best meal for a stormy night. No forks or knives required. Burritos.

Grace wolfed hers down in minutes and Dani almost laughed at her enthusiasm but then remembered the exertion up on the sky deck and bit her lip instead.

Hadrell finished his dinner and called for a round of blackjack to pass the evening.

The women groaned and he promised them that he’d only pour half shots, and only the first person to bust needed to drink.

Grace counted herself in and eventually their partners agreed too.

They were four rounds in, Dani had had one shot, Evelyn, one, and William two. Grace was winning and sober as a rock. Dani was about to deal the fifth round when a swell tipped the yacht and Grace heard the distinctive sound of plastic cracking, William heard it too but Grace indicated that she’d go.

“I’m just going to go check it out” Grace assured her table mates. “It’s probably a loose strap or a deck chair that’s come lose, but either way I’ll need to secure it”

“Be careful” Dani kissed her quickly.

Grace left the table and went outside into the rain. She could barely see anything so she used her X-ray to see if she could identify the source of the sound.

She walked the deck and pulled on the straps holding the jeep, none of them budged. She then got to the trailer and pulled on each of the four straps holding it down. When she pulled on the fourth she felt a slight tear. She ran her hand up the strap and found it hanging on by its last few threads. It wasn’t the source of the sound but she’d need to get a replacement for it right away.

The yacht pitched unexpectedly and threw her off her feet, she landed heavily on the deck but before she could get her footing there was anther heave and her body slid along the slick deck toward the stern, she hit the stern wall heavily and grunted but pulled herself back upright, regained her footing and made her way past the supply trailer and back toward the under seat storage near the cabin doors which contained the spare ropes, dive masks, life vests, and spare straps for the vessel.

She grabbed a spare strap, tied it around her waist and slid back to the trailer just in time to grab onto the strap as the yacht pitched again and strap snapped, letting the trailer lift dangerously. Grace tightened her grip on the broken pieces of strapping desperately puling on them both, trying to stop it from shifting and snapping any of the other ties, she felt the material cut painfully into her hands, and the painful pull against her shoulders, but she stayed firmly in place, anchoring herself to the deck, and keeping the trailer from lifting any further. This supply trailer contained everything they promised to bring the community in Hawaii so she wouldn’t let it go.

As she tried to bring the trailer back down, she heard the distinctive snap of fiberglass and plastic again, and this time looked where it had come from just in time to see one of the three jet skis dislodge itself from it’s dock when the yacht jarred back down into the ocean.

She groaned inwardly _‘fucking fantastic’_ she could deal with that in a minute, but she used the temporary gift of gravity to keep the trailer planted back between its wheel chocks and pulled the new strap through a new tie down point on the trailer, tightening it off. The yacht started to tip again and she managed to keep the end of the of the trailer down just long enough fasten the clip into the anchor point on the deck when she felt more than heard loose jet ski topple toward her.

 _‘fuck’_ her augments provided her just enough time to turn her body so that it struck a glancing blow which could have otherwise killed her. It barrelled into her and together they tumbled back toward the waist high stern wall. She felt her ribs crack as the jet ski pinned her to the wall, and her head collided harshly with the hard surface, making her see stars. Her RD quickly advised her of an imminent crash and she tried to reach for her med-gun. Her body was suspended somehow between the jet ski and the stern wall but she orientated herself and pulled open her ever present pouch and got the gun out, but just as she was about to deliver a dose, the yacht lifted again, and the jet ski began to slide against the deck. Grace desperately tried to anchor herself and the jet ski, but in doing so she lost hold of the med-gun, watching it slide further away from her as she tried to keep herself in place. She groaned as the weight of the jet ski shifted again and pressed into her ribs, trying to control the pain and her breathing, to try and delay the crash until she could work a way out of this.

“William!” she yelled as loudly as she could a few times. If anyone inside would hear her, it would be him.

***

Hadrell was just about to take his third shot, when he heard Grace calling him from outside somewhere. He immediately got up and Dani and Evelyn could tell something was wrong.

“It’s Grace” he said quickly. Dani bolted out of her seat before he could move and together they headed toward the cabin door.

***

The yacht surged again but this time Grace couldn’t keep her grip, her bloody hands making it almost impossible to keep hold of the smooth rail along the stern. And she and the ski slid together along the wall until the yacht crested the swell.

Her breathing was becoming even more laboured and she didn’t have the strength or coordination to try and pull herself free of the jet ski. Her belt was caught up in the handlebar, but she couldn’t command her arms or legs to take her body weight in order to lift herself free. She felt her body begin to shake and despite desperately trying to stay conscious, she passed out as the first seizure took hold. 

***

“Grace?!” Dani called out as soon as she stepped through the door. She could barely see a few feet in front of her, and the rain stung at her face, but her gut told her something was very wrong, Grace would have answered if she could, and Hadrell hadn’t heard anything since he first stood up, so she kept moving forward. 

“I’ll check the bow and the helo pad” Hadrell said and quickly swung himself onto the staircase heading to where Grace might have gone.

Dani pushed forward slowly, grabbing onto the front of the jeep and pulling herself along.

“Grace!” she yelled into the almost pitch darkness.

She noticed that one of the three jet skis was missing from its dock and her stomach churned. Had it come loose? Had Grace taken it out _‘in this?’._ No, she knew her partner wouldn’t have done something so reckless.

The Yacht lifted again and she clung to the vehicle until it settled. She pulled herself past the jeep and further toward the supply trailer. She noticed something green in her periphery, a loose strap anchored to the deck flapping wildly in the wind. A strap that, from the looks of it, had been attached to the supply trailer, but the trailer was firmly tied down on all sides, so she didn’t understand why there would be a loose strap. She tried to grab at it a couple times and finally latched onto it, she could see that it had torn free, and she could see blood on in, and her mind quickly put the pieces together. Somehow this strap has come free and this is where Grace had most likely held onto it, using the strap as an anchor point to keep the supplies tethered to the deck. She looked at the strap in its place, somehow Grace had managed to tie it back down again, but then, where was she?

She moved toward the stern and scanned the parts of the deck she could see. At first she saw a familiar med-gun, sliding freely along the stern wall as the boat surged and tipped, Dani’s heart rate jumped. Grace’s med gun. It had to be. Her gaze followed the stern wall and landed on the uprooted jet ski on its side against the guard. That’s when she saw Grace, unmoving, pinned between the ski and the wall.

“William!!!” she yelled over her shoulder, knowing that his augments would allow him to hear her even through the storm.

She half walked half slid to the stern and grabbed onto the rail as the yacht pitched nauseatingly again.

The jet ski slid further from her, and with it, so did Grace’s limp body which was still caught behind it and the guardrail of the boat.

William was by her side in less than a minute.

“Fuck!” he swore and managed to stop the ski form sliding any further. He tried pulled the jet ski off Grace but he couldn’t separate them.

“wait wait wait!” Dani yelled as she knelt in the space he’d created. Dani saw that Grace’s belt had somehow got caught in the handlebar of the machine, she quickly pulled out her switchblade, sliced the belt, and Grace’s body dropped heavily to the deck. Dani noted her red, inflamed skin, her bio-mesh showing through, her short breaths and the blood running down the side of her head. Dani’s chest tightened. Grace had been crashing, she had obviously had her med-gun with her, but somehow it had either slipped or been knocked out of her hands. She looked back where she had last seen it, but it had rolled even further away.

Hadrell grunted and tipped the jet ski off the side and into the rolling ocean below, he didn’t have time to try and secure it and Grace was his priority right now.

He accessed his RD and swore. He noticed the empty pouch where her med-gun should have been and swore again, pulling out his own and pushing two quick doses into her.

He easily picked her limp body up and indicated that Dani was to go ahead of them.

Evelyn met them at the cabin door and ushered them into the bedroom.

“She’s crashing” Dani said as William placed her on the bed.

Evelyn quickly nodded and inserted a small probe into Graces wrist while Hadrell red her vitals.

“She was unconscious, and in a late stage 5 crash by the look of it” Hadrell panted “I can see three cracked ribs” he said plainly after scanning her with his X-ray “A head contusion, and a lot of superficial damage to her hands” but I can’t see any internal bleeding or broken bones” he clarified.

Dani turned Grace’s hands over and gasped at the torn flesh and exposed mesh underneath, she saw a few green nylon strands imbedded in one of her palms and knew immediately that the wounds had been made by her grip on the ties holding the supplies down.

Evelyn read through Grace’s information and let out a breath. “She’s stable Dani” she unplugged her medical scanner “You got meds into her before she went into a stage 6 crash. Her vitals are all returning to normal. It’s just the cracked ribs and the head contusion we need to keep an eye on”

“Shouldn’t she be awake now if it was just a crash?” Dani asked.

Evelyn nodded. “Usually, yes. But she also has a head injury, so it might take her a while to come around but for now we need to get her out of these wet clothes, and clean her wounds” Dani made to speak but Evelyn placed a hand over hers. “Dani, I’m almost sure she’s going to be fine we just need to be patient”

Dani nodded, Hadrell stepped out quietly and together Dani and Evelyn pulled Grace’s soaked clothing from her, cleaned and bandaged her hands, put a firm dressing over her rigcage, and cleaned her headwound.

Evelyn helped pull the blanket over Grace’s prone body before making sure Dani got out of her own soaking clothes. She hugged her friend tightly telling her everything would be okay, and, sensing Dani’s need to be alone with Grace, she closed the door behind her, leaving Dani sitting next to the bed by her still unconscious partner.

Dani sighed heavily and climbed under the cover next to Grace. She stroked her warm cheek, and lay a hand lightly over her chest, feeling her warmth and her steady heartbeat.

She lay her head down and let her tears drop onto the pillow. She’d accepted that a life with Grace meant that things like this were an eventuality, not an exception. She sighed again. How many times would she have to do this? Sit by and watch Grace in pain, sick or dying? She sighed and smiled. She loved Grace with everything she had and so, in actual fact, it didn’t matter how many more times.

She tucked herself under the covers with her unconscious partner, propped herself against the headrest, and stroked her fingers through her still damp locks, waiting for her to wake up.

It didn’t take long. The augment driven nanites in her blood doing what they were designed to do, and the heavy drug cocktail from the med-gun assisting her body to quickly equilibrate.

She leant into Dani’s soft touch and opened her eyes.

“Hey, welcome back” Dani said softly, the vice around her chest loosening a little as Grace’s crystal blue eyes smiled back at her.

Grace tried to sit up but groaned heavily. Dani gently pushed her back onto the mattress and Grace’s hand went to her left side, grasping it gingerly.

“Three cracked ribs, a bump on your head, and your hands are a bit of a mess” Dani rattled off quickly.

“The supply trailer” Grace asked, “did it hold?”

Dani stroked Grace’s cheek and nodded and Grace’s body relaxed a little more.

“How do you feel?” Dani asked softly, unable to stop the knot in her stomach or the tremble in her voice.

“I’ll be fine” Grace said wearily and sat up despite Dani’s attempt to keep her in place. Grace hissed as her ribs shifted painfully, but she pulled herself upright and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

“Grace! What are you doing?” Dani asked quickly and rounded the bed to help her determined partner, standing in front of her to try and steady her as she stood.

Grace tried to stand, but the recent crash plus the head injury and her sore ribs had taken more of a toll than she’d thought, and she sat back down quickly. Her RD told her she was stable, but in need of hydration, electrolytes, glucose, and obviously, rest.

“Grace. Please” Dani crooned. Placing Grace’s head against her stomach and stroked her damp hair. “Just rest for now okay” Dani asked again, softly. Grace nodded silently and brought her heavily bandaged hands up to Dani’s waist, taking comfort in her partners scent and soft touch.

Dani reached over to the bedside table and grabbed the one litre liquid nutrient bottle Evelyn had left there earlier. She unscrewed the lid and passed it down to Grace who took it gratefully and drank almost half of it straight away.

“Come lay down” Dani asked.

Grace looked like she was going to say no.

“For me” Dani asked quietly, cupping her cheek softly “I need to be close to you” she said honestly.

Grace had absolutely no defences when it came to comforting Dani so she sighed tiredly but lay back down in the bed and Dani quickly scooted under the covers.

She felt her partner tuck into her body gently. Careful not to touch too much of her bruised body, and she loved her even more for her obvious care, even if it was unnecessary. Grace turned on her right side and pulled Dani close. She nuzzled into the back of Dani’s neck, probably one of her most favourite places to be, be and held her tightly against her body.

She sighed in tired contentment as her body tried to pull her back to sleep, but before it did she squeezed Dani tightly against her, kissing her behind her ear.

“I love you Dani” she whispered. And as her tired body became heavy, she was vaguely aware of Dani whispering back ‘te quiero’ before sleep consumed her.

Dani lay there, the heavy weight of her lovers’ body resting soothingly against her back. Her even breathing, her scent, her overly warm skin, and her firm embrace, all lulling her into a place of peace and content. She tried to stay awake, but her body automatically responded to Grace, and she was pulled toward sleep within minutes.

***

The next morning Dani woke before Grace which was unusual. She turned over in bed and watched her deeply sleeping partner, marvelling again at how much younger she looked when she slept. No tension in her body, her face completely relaxed, and her often intense blue eyes covered by her lids. Dani smiled and lay her head back down and enjoyed the rare opportunity to watch her. It lasted barely a few minutes before Graces eyes opened and Dani gasped lightly in surprise. Grace smiled and rolled onto her back

“You know it’s kinda creepy when you do that” She tried to stretch but hissed and grabbed her side.

Dani leant forward and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. She reached back and picked up the half-finished nutrient bottle, handing it to Grace who took it and finished it quickly.

“I can’t help it” Dani said with a shrug of her shoulders and gently ran her fingers through Graces hair “You’re beautiful” she said simply and honestly.

Grace smiled and rolled her eyes a little “And you call me the romantic goofball” she looked at Dani and her smile deepened.

Dani returned the smile and kissed her softly.

Dani moved to get out of bed and Grace followed but Dani shot her a look that made her stay in place.

“I’m going to get Evelyn to run another scan. And then we can see how much or how little you’re allowed to do today” she lifted an eyebrow “okay?”

Grace nodded and pulled the sheet back over herself while Dani quickly put her clothes on and went to get Evelyn.

Evelyn connected the probe and ran the diagnostics “she’s fine Dani” she smiled at her friend “slightly dehydrated, and will definitely be resting today, but fine” she disconnected the probe and spoke to Grace “Your ribs are going to take another couple days, we’ll redress your hands today but they’ll be healed over by tomorrow.”

Evelyn leant down and quickly kissed Grace on the cheek “I’m glad you’re okay _mon amie_ ” She gave Dani a quick kiss as well and left the room.

Dani sighed and sat back down on the bed. “you heard the rest part right?” she smiled at her always stubborn lover and Grace smiled back.

“I heard” she answered. She pulled the sheets back and Dani helped her get into her clothes for the day.

They made their way to the dining area and Evelyn served up a cooked breakfast with coffee. “I thought we could eat out on the bow this morning?” she said lightly. “It’s a beautiful day”

They nodded and made their way through the living area and toward the front of the yacht. William had arranged the furniture so that there were four well cushioned chairs around a small table. Grace lowered herself into one and the rest followed.

It really was a beautiful day, and the ever-present dolphins were particularly inquisitive and playful this morning.

“Two more days and we should be there” William said as he sipped his coffee.

“I’d like to make sure I’m 100% before we do” Graces stated quickly “my ribs might take a couple days so can we make it three just to be sure?”

Dani nodded easily and held Grace’s hand, knowing how important it was for her to be physically capable, just in case.

“Three days it is” Dani said with a smile. “I guess we’ll just stay here for the day then si?

Hadrell smiled and nodded “I could do with a rest day too” he said.

***

Dani radioed Hector the day before they were due to arrive, and she barely got any sleep that night. Spending it mostly sitting by Grace’s side on the bridge as the went over things in her mind.

Grace smirked at her lover and whispered, “Do I need to give you seven again?”

Dani laughed and pulled her close, letting Grace’s warm presence and gentle touch sooth her nerves. “I don’t think the ‘fucked all night’ look would make a particularly good first impression” she said with a smile.

Grace laughed and agreed. So, they sat together quietly. Enjoying the changing colours of the night sky as the sun slowly came up.

Hadrell entered the bridge with coffee and watched the approaching coastline.

Grace stopped the engine approximately 100 meters form shore.

“huh” Grace said in surprise. “Looks like they only brought three people”. William concurred and Dani took it as a good sign.

William and Grace shifted into military mode. They quickly dawned their fatigues and, wore their sidearms and strapped a rifle to their sides.

They insisted on Dani and Evelyn wearing body armour at least for this first part of the introduction, and the two women obliged.

Grace and William locked the yacht down and put the inflatable eight person craft into the water and helped Dani and Evelyn board the smaller seacraft. William pulled the engine on and the headed towards the group of three standing on the beach.

Dani grasped Graces hand discretely. She might be the Commander, but at the moment she was a ball of nerves. This was going to be the first official outreach from Prosperitas to a large independent community. She’d played ambassador for the Resistance for the last twenty years for small groups of scavengers and pockets of survivors, but never a group this large.

Grace squeezed her hand in return and Dani took a deep breath.

As they neared he shore Grace and Hadrell automatically scanned the area for hidden heat signatures, concealed weapons, or anything non-human.

Grace raised an eyebrow. Pleasantly surprised at the lack of subterfuge.

“Clear” Hadrell called out.

As the small craft hit the shore, he raised the motor and turned it off. He and Grace jumped out and pulled it further onto the beach, ensuring it wouldn’t drift back.

Hadrell helped Evelyn out of the craft, and Grace did the same with Dani.

The small group consisted of a large, barrel chested, bearded Polynesian male in his 40’s. He stood out front, presenting himself as their leader or representative and Dani assumed this was Hector. There was a younger man, with lighter skin and cropped hair in his 30’s who held himself like a soldier and carried the only weapon they could detect, an old, but well-kept shotgun. And there was a large Polynesian woman who appeared to be in her 70’s, she had dark skin, long grey hair, and a kind face. 

Dani immediately identified the woman as the leader of the group, despite her conversations with Hector and despite his presence at the front of the group. She smiled internally. _‘Smart’_

Dani widened her stride and Grace matched her but stayed slightly behind.

Dani reached the group and held out her hand.

“Dani Ramos” she said kindly with a smile “It’s a genuine pleasure to meet you”

The barrel chested man took Dani’s hand and introduced himself as Hector. “it’s good to finally meet you too Dani” he smiled warmly.

He then introduced the young male with the firearm as Jackson, and the older woman as Thalia.

Dani in turn introduced Grace, William, and Evelyn, leaving out their titles for now. It was obvious that Grace and William were soldiers simply from the way they held themselves, and from the presence of their weapons, but Dani wanted to ensure that their encounter was as non-military as possible.

Hector took in the group. The two tall soldiers carried an air of intimidation whether they meant to or not, their eyes focused and expressions neutral. He felt a little uneasy and exposed around them, not something he was used to at all. The French woman appeared friendly and eager to engage, and Dani was a surprise all together.

Like the rest of his community, he’d watched the introductory video, so he had recognised her immediately. But he had no genuine gauge for how she would be in real life. She seemed kind and friendly and genuinely warm in their conversations over the radio, but in person he also sensed a fierce and potentially deadly underlayer if provoked. Despite her small stature in comparison to her much taller travel companions, there was no arguing that she was in charge.

Hector nodded and smiled “We’ve set up a small conference room to talk” pointed to a cabin maybe 30 meters away.

“Commander” Hadrell said quickly and without further words he preceded to the cabin to ensure its security, Checking the interior for any dangers.

“I apologise Hector, it’s not that I don’t take you for a man of your word” Dani grinned “It’s just that they can be a little over-cautious when it comes to my safety”

Hector couldn’t help but grin back, her face held no malice or distrust, just honesty. His people had no intention of subterfuge, they needed this alliance. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a little sting that soldiers had checked anyway. _‘Commander?’_ The soldier had referred to her, he wondered what that was about.

“Clear” Hadrell called out and the group of seven moved to the cabin. Hadrell posting himself at the door. Dani, Hector, Grace, Jackson, Evelyn and Thalia all took a seat at the large table which had been set up for them.

Dani started, and surprisingly she directed her opening comment to the older woman in the room “Firstly, I want to say thank you for this opportunity, thank you for accepting our offer, and I hope, over time, we can build an alliance that benefits us all” She never took her eyes off the older woman and eventually Thalia started to chuckle.

“She’s a smart one” Thalia spoke to Hector and chuckled even more. Hector seemed at a loss for words. He couldn’t rightly take offence because technically Thalia was their elder and their leader. He’d asked to put himself in her position over the radio and at the beach just in case their first encounter didn’t go as they hoped it would.

Thalia nodded back to the younger woman with a look of kind acceptance, and Dani nodded back, acknowledging her.

“We hope the supply drop gives you some indication of our capacity to trade” Dani said to Hector.

Hector nodded eagerly “I can’t tell you how incredible it was to have chocolate again!” his smile broadened, and Dani laughed. Of all the important supplies contained in the air-drop, chocolate was what he got joy from, she glanced at Grace who had a slight smile on her lips. Dani immediately liked him.

The mood at the table became much lighter and they began the first stage of their introductions. Hector took lead. Thalia was their leader in all important decision making, but Hector was her proxy during the every-day running of their community.

“When the machines first struck, we had no warning” He said quickly

“We either” Dani said.

“They pretty much destroyed Honolulu on the first day, all the large military assets got obliterated. The whole island was essentially lost” he clenched his jaw at the memory. “We lost communication with everyone, and those that had the means, left the islands for the mainland”

Dani sighed heavily, knowing that anyone who reached the mainland would have been greeted with much the same.

“It’s a long story, and it took a long time to forge alliances and rebuild, but eventually most of us left, moved to the Big Island and we began to re-build our community here”

“We call it “Perseverance” because that’s what it took to get us all to work together” Thalia chimed in.

“One splinter community tried to return to Honolulu a few years after the initial attack, their intent was to utilise what was left of the military bases, to fortify their position and try to fight back, but when they did, the machines came for them” he sighed heavily “we lost almost a quarter of our people that day”

“I’m sorry” Dani said genuinely.

Hector nodded “So we decided that if we kept our heads down and built ourselves a new place to live here, without heavy weapons, hopefully the machines wouldn’t see us as a threat, hopefully they’d leave us alone. And for close to 15 years that’s been the case” He smiled lightly.

“And then your package arrived” He leant back heavily. “It’s hard to believe what happened on the mainland, that you fought them for twenty years, that you managed to build an army strong enough to take them down” he shook his head in disbelief.

“Hector, it wasn’t easy. It cost us a lot of lives” Dani said quietly and her eyes saddened and quickly darted to Grace and back again.

Thalia caught the look and filed it away. She watched the tall soldier, noting her ever vigilant eyes, always scanning, never trusting. She took in the white markings along her exposed arms and neck, wondering if they were scars, what this woman had undergone to get them. And she noticed how those hypervigilant, serious blues eyes would soften whenever they landed on the woman who lead them.

“You read the briefing, and I won’t go into details of how we did it right now” Dani leant forward “but I want to stress how important it is for us to try and rebuild some of what we used to have. To reconnect our communities as much as we can. Humanity may have won the war, but we are just beginning to figure out the “what next” of all of this. Most of us don’t know anything but the war, so it’s going to be a long road back to getting used to peace being our new normal. But from what I can tell, Perseverance has managed to do it” she smiled widely.

“Not without a lot of hard work I can tell you” Hector chuckled.

“I’d love to see your community” Dani broached.

Hector looked at Thalia who nodded back to him.

“Tomorrow” we will arrange a tour of some of the town. But we must insist on no weapons. Grace immediately sat up in her seat and went to speak but was stopped by the small hand that landed gently on her forearm.

“Hector. I can assure you that our intentions are peaceful. And I can ensure that my people will not carry, nor bring with them, any heavy weaponry. But you must understand that we” she indicated to her team “have been living in a warzone for twenty years. Being without a weapon is tantamount to being naked for us” She waited quietly. She would not budge on the topic until she was 100% convinced of their safety in this new place. But she would also need to accept their decision whatever it might be.

“Holstered handguns only” Thalia spoke after a long moment.

Dani let out a breath and nodded.

“8am tomorrow then” Hector smiled brightly and shook their hands.

They all stood up and exited the small hut.

“We’ve set up a couple beachside bungalows for you and your team” he smiled “There was a time they would have cost a small fortune for some rich white whale to stay in” he laughed “but now, they’re mostly used for small getaways, honeymoon retreats and the like for our town” He pointed out two bungalows side by side just off to their left. “The plumbing works, and there is a solar hot water system. There’s wood fire or gas fire depending on your preference for cooking, and electricity is available 24/7. We switched on the solar batteries yesterday so they should be good to go”

Evelyn quickly chimed in “So, you use solar as well as geothermal energy here?”

Hector smiled “Mother nature never ceases to provide. We have some hydroelectricity and a few still functioning wind turbines” he said proudly. “We started running out of components to repair and maintain our solar panels about ten years ago, but we still generate more electricity than we need”

Evelyn’s eyes opened in surprise and Hector acknowledged the French engineers’ obvious interest. “I can organise a tour of our power facilities if you’d like?”

“Oui!” she nodded and smiled and shook his hand again.

With that Hector, Thalia and Jackson got into their vehicle, a vehicle which Evelyn noted, had been retrofitted with solar panels on the roof and hood, and drove off.

Dani put her hands on her hips and let out a big breath.

“Dani, that went well” Evelyn said reassuringly.

Dani nodded her agreement “I just don’t want to fuck it up” she said seriously.

“We won’t” Grace assured her. She knew how important it was for Dani to make this first attempt and an alliance work. So much so that she would have acquiesced if Dani had asked her to be unarmed tomorrow. Even unarmed, Augments were deadly.

Dani’s eyes softened and she walked into her partners arms.

Hadrell cleared his throat “Right. I’m gonna go start unloading the boat”

Grace laughed, squeezed Dani tightly and trotted off behind him. Soon they were boarding the small craft and headed back to the larger yacht moored further out.

Evelyn approached her friend and smiled “I think that means we need to get the homes ready” she laughed at Dani’s chagrined expression and pulled her towards the bungalows.

Their hosts had gone all out with the accommodation, making sure the refrigerator was well stocked with fresh produce, including a whole, fresh caught fish for dinner. The beds were made, and there were fresh flowers set out on the kitchen table.

Evelyn drew back the curtains in the bedrooms and gasped. The view was beautiful. The beach so close you felt like you could touch it.

They heard the chopper start up and within a half hour William and Grace had lifted their jeep and their supply trailer onto the beach. They decided to keep the chopper on the yacht for security and brought the small inflatable back to shore. 

The four of them started unpacking the cargo, most of it was for the township, new components for their solar panels, vehicle parts, supplies of non-perishable food, rolls of textiles, sheets of steel, aluminium, and an assortment of power tools and accessories, drills, saws, nail guns, and an air compressor. They hooked up the large trailer to the Jeep and re-stacked the supplies neatly before covering it over with a tarp and tying it down. The rest of the supplies they carried into the bungalows. Long life food, water, clothing, they also had a mini generator which as it turned out they wouldn’t need, as true to their word, electricity was readily available.

Dani stood on the beach and suddenly had the desire to do something she hadn’t done in over 20 years. She shucked her boots and pulled off her top.

“Uh, Dani” Grace nervously approached her partner. Decidedly uncomfortable with her being half naked out in the open.

“Come with me” Dani smiled brightly at Grace who watched in stunned silence as she pulled her pants down and sprinted for the water in just her underwear.

Grace was rendered literally speechless as she watched Dani run into the water and dive under a wave. She heard a second splash and saw Evelyn follow her friend into the water. She looked over at Hadrell who had the same expression she did.

They looked between each other then back to the water at the women they loved.

Grace shrugged, she locked away her weapons inside the Jeep, and started pulling off her outer clothes, leaving just her tank and underwear on.

Dani stopped what she was doing as her beautiful lover walked gracefully into the water until she was waist deep and dove towards them.

“You can close your mouth now” Evelyn playfully elbowed her friend, but she herself had a hard time taking her eyes off the beautiful well-muscled body of the tall soldier entering the water.

Dani laughed at her friend’s expression and splashed her with water “She’s taken Eve” and laughed playfully as Grace reached them and scooped her up in a tight embrace.

Hadrell, seemingly having no choice, locked up his weapons and shucked his clothes as well and entered the warm water up to his navel, where he stopped.

“Come _mon cherie_ ” Evelyn called out to her lover but could see his hesitation, so she swam back toward the shore. When she reached him she wrapped her long arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. “ _quoi?_ ”

He rubbed his head in embarrassment. “I’ve never been in the ocean love”

“never?” she said in surprise.

“I’m British sweetheart” he said as though that explained everything.

“But you can swim oui?” she knew he could.

He nodded again “In a pool, yeah, of course I can swim love” he looked out towards the rolling waves and the seemingly endless blue beyond it.

Evelyn saw the glimmer of hesitation in his eyes and decided not to push. Instead she pulled herself close and kissed him. The combination of the warm sun, the salty water, successful first negotiation had her feeling quite high. Add to that the unexpected jolt of arousal she experienced watching Grace enter the water, and the equally unexpected bloom of love she felt towards William at that very moment, she reached between them and into his boxers, wrapping her fingers around his soft cock.

“Darling” He murmured, feeling himself getting hard within seconds.

“Shhh” she whispered and guided them into a rock pool not far from where they had been, it was sheltered and the water came up to her chest _‘perfect’_ She lifted herself up and wrapped her legs around his strong hips. She let out a quiet groan as he entered her and pushed them up against a rock, using his hands to protect the soft skin of her back.

He rocked gently into her at first, but the soft sounds she was making and the tremble in her legs made it hard.

Evelyn lay her head on his strong shoulder and wrapped her arms around his well muscled back. She closed her eyes and let the gentle orgasm wash through her.

“fuck me harder” she breathes, knowing he hadn’t had his release yet.

William let himself go and pumped into Evelyn’s silky centre roughly. Her head fell back onto the smooth rock and he immediately latched onto her exposed neck.

“William” She breathed as she felt herself nearing another, stronger orgasm.

William panted roughly and captured Evelyne lips as his own approached.

She felt his warm cum insider her and with a few more strokes her inner walls clamped down on his cock as her orgasm took her, she dug her nails into his back as the powerful contractions washed through her, loving the feel of his solid body pushed against hers.

They remained there for long minutes, kissing softly, and enjoying the feel of the gently moving water around them.

In the meantime, Grace had pulled Dani back to the shore where they proceeded to have their own make out session. When Graces acute hearing picked up on the sounds of Hadrell and Evelyn fucking, she simultaneously blushed and reached for Dani’s covered breast.

“Grace” Dani hissed, trying to see where her two friends had got to.

“Don’t worry Dani” Grace said quietly “They’re busy” she cocked an eyebrow and Dani laughed.

“Really?!” She tried to prop herself up but couldn’t see them.

“Really” Grace answered back and latched onto Dani’s tender pulse point. The one which almost never failed to turn her lover into a quivering, compliant, mess. And this time was no different. But there was no way she wanted Hadrell to hear them so easily so she quickly scooped Dani up in her arms along with their discarded clothing, and entered the bungalow they’d chosen as theirs.

She carried Dani into the shower and turned on the water. Rinsing them free of the sand and the salt water.

Dani broke the kiss to register the bathroom “Oh my god! A tub!” she groaned and Grace smiled. It was a large shower which also functioned as a spa bathtub. Grace had never seen one before but she quickly figured out how to get it to fill.

She captured her lovers’ lips again and lay Dani down into the shallow water and without a word entered her wet centre with two fingers.

Dani’s head dropped back against the edge of the tub and Grace was quick to latch onto that same soft pulse point she loved so much. And, being in no hurry, slowly stroked her lover. She heard Dani begin to breath shallow, and felt her legs try to find purchase against the slippery floor of the tub, trying to bring herself closer to her lover.

“Grace” she moaned and pulled back on the short blonde hair, guiding Grace’s lips back to hers.

Grace added a third finger and used her thumb to stroke Dani’s clit and within seconds she was swallowing Dani’s long groan as her body jerked and her orgasm started. She kept their lips locked together until Dani’s breathing had returned to normal. She reached back and turned the water off, surprised to note that the tub had filled to exactly the right amount for them both.

She pulled Dani’s body against hers as she manoeuvred herself back against the curved wall of the tub. Letting them both recline in the warm water.

Dani settled herself between Grace’s legs and let her head rest against her chest. She pulled Graces arms tightly around her and sighed.

“Hmm” Grace queried.

“This is pretty perfect _si?_ ”

“ _Si_ ” Grace replied without hesitation.

“The sound of the ocean, the warm water, the colours of the sunset” Dani murmured. “You wrapping me up like this” she squeezed Graces strong arms and they tightened even more securely around her body.

She turned around in Grace’s embrace and the edge of her lips quirked “the only thing that could possibly make it more perfect” she whispered and expertly entered her lover with three fingers. Grace grasped the edges of the tub and let he head fall back. “Is this” Dani said seductively as she began to slide her fingers quickly inside her lover.

She leant forward and kissed Grace’s exposed neck. Grasping a breast with her free hand she massaged it, playing with the firm nipple until Grace was reduced to a series of pants and moans.

She bit gently down on Graces neck and simultaneously pinched the nipple between her fingers tightly and stroked Graces clit with her thumb. The multiple sensations throwing Grace over the edge into an orgasm which she arched into but rode out in near silent pants.

Her hands loosened their grip from the edges of the tub and floated back around her lovers’ waist. She sat up and captured Dani’s mouth in a scorching kiss which left them both panting and dizzy.

She rested her forehead against Dani’s and caught her breath.

“I love you Dani” She said almost reverently “And I’m so proud of you” 

“I love you too Grace” Dani said with a smile and looked into her lovers’ clear blue eyes. “always” she kissed her again gently and pushed her back against the curved wall of the tub, nestling herself back between Graces legs, resting her head on Grace’s chest. Again, Grace’s arms came around her and wrapped her firmly in an embrace, and she sighed contently.

They sat like that in silence, listening to the waves rush against the shore, watching the last rays of the sunset. The water in the tub eventually became too cold for Dani, so they towelled off, put fresh clothes on and went in search of the other two lovers. 

***

“It’s amazing isn’t it?” Evelyn asked as they served up their fresh cooked dinner of yellowfin tuna and fresh vegetables. “What they seem to have accomplished”

Dani nodded in agreement “It’s amazing”

Grace spoke softly “And they somehow managed to mostly avoid Legion” she said with a hint of envy in her voice.

Dani placed a hand on her partners thigh “Which makes _our_ survival even more amazing if you ask me”

Grace looked into Dani’s eyes and saw the truth of it. She smiled gently and nodded.

Dani turned towards William and Evelyn, “I’d like us to spend time tomorrow trying to identify areas we can help them with now. Whether that be general repairs, or upgrades to any technology we can immediately assist with”. Her three table mates nodded in agreement. “We’ll take the supplies into town and I’d like all four of us to be present for the tour” she paused and looked at Hadrell and Grace seriously. “Absolutely no weapons except your sidearms, am I understood?” Grace and William nodded stiffly. The soldiers in them entirely uncomfortable with the limited protection.

“We could make a real difference here” she said seriously “and I don’t want anything we inadvertently do to interfere with that. At the same time, this community could have a lot to give us. The simple fact that they’ve retained a power network without fossil fuels is remarkable by itself. I’d like to see their agricultural set-up, how they store and distribute their produce” Dani’s eyes became bright and Grace smiled softly at her enthusiasm.

“It might sound cliché, but this could be the start of something great” Dani grinned and tucked into her food.

Evelyn, William and Grace exchanged glances and they too got swept up in Dani’s excitement, taking late into the night about all the ways the two parties could assist each other.

***

***


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An introduction to some new characters as our team explore the island and meet the residents.   
> A little bit of plot progression, a little bit more character building, especially for our new characters.   
> Quite a bit of angst and medical procedures in this chapter.  
> And as always, there's gotta be some lovin.  
> Enjoy

The next morning they were met at the bungalows by Hector and Jackson again and once Hector satisfied himself that nobody was carrying any heavy weaponry he asked them to follow in their vehicle.

They drove inland together for approximately ten miles and pulled over beside a large waterfall.

Hector got out of his vehicle and spoke into a radio.

Dani watched in fascination as a makeshift drawbridge was lowered across the rapidly moving water and came to rest on their side. Hector got back in his vehicle and the group crossed the bridge. The drawbridge raising smoothly behind them as they made it across.

They drove for a few more miles and Dani gasped as part of the township came into view. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting but this was definitely not it.

Hector stopped his car on the ridge and approached the Jeep. “We can go on foot from here” Everyone nodded, Grace and Hadrell immediately exited the vehicle, took up defensive positions around Dani and scanned quickly for any potential danger.

Dani smiled slightly at their hypervigilance. Her gut told her that Hector was a man of his word, and that Thalia genuinely wanted to make an alliance. She didn’t feel any danger from this community, if anything, she felt an overwhelming sense of curiosity and interest from them.

Dani saw Hector’s back straighten as the soldiers looked for danger, and in a deliberate effort to counter any offence, Dani unclipped her sidearm and placed it in the console between the passenger and driver seat. Grace saw this and moved to say something but Dani’s answering look brokered no question.

Grace clenched her jaw and took a deep breath. Nodding silently.

Hector surreptitiously watched the exchange and was impressed and comforted not only at Dani’s apparent trust in him and his community, but at the command she clearly had over the soldiers whose duty it was to protect her.

As Hector began to walk, he signalled Jackson to go ahead and let Thalia know they’d arrived. Grace placed herself at the front of the group with Hector, and Hadrell took the rear. Keeping Dani and Evelyn between them.

“How many people do you have here in Perseverance, Hector?” Dani asked

There was a slight pause while Hector decided whether to disclose the information.

“Close to two thousand” He eventually said, sadness clear in his voice.

Dani blew out a breath and placed a hand over his shoulder “I know what it feels like to have lost millions Hector” she squeezed his shoulder and let go “but two thousand survivors is a remarkable achievement. It’s two thousand more than most states on the mainland managed to keep safe. You should all be proud of what you’ve accomplished” She smiled up at the large man and he smiled back.

Hector decided, in that very moment, that he genuinely liked, and trusted Dani.

“What about you Dani?” He asked, how many people as Prosperitas managed to keep safe.

Dani paused, she had kept this detail, along with many others, vague in the information package she sent out to the possible allied communities. She didn’t want to show her hand before she’d established their relationship. She decided that Hector and his community had earned her trust.

“At last count we had close to 400,000 people living across five settlements” She said evenly.

“Jesus” Hector swore and stopped dead. He was both horrified at the sheer loss of human life across the continent, but also dumbfounded that Dani had somehow managed to lead and coordinate that many people over the last 20 years. There would have been around 500 million people in North & Central America alone before the machines struck. He simply couldn’t fathom the numbers. But at the same time, he knew how difficult it had been to keep the two thousand they had here in his community safe, healthy, and well fed. He couldn’t imagine the challenge of trying to do the same with 400,000 while at actual war with the machines.

Dani watched the emotions cross his face and waited a moment for him to digest the information before she spoke.

“We’re hoping to find more communities like yours Hector. People who have been kept safe and well during the war. We don’t know how many more we’ll find, but we are hopeful”

Hector nodded silently, still trying to grapple with the news.

He led them past some open grazing fields where some cattle, chickens, and pigs roamed freely. “We used to have large cattle ranches before the machines, but now we have a half dozen open grazing areas we rotate through. We subside mainly off seafood which is abundant around the island, and the produce we grow, but on special occasions we use the cattle, chickens and hogs as a food source. However, the chickens give us an abundant supply of eggs, and the cows provide our dairy products, so they’re almost treated like royalty” He chuckled.

The community looked like the wide open suburbs Dani remembered from before the war. Open houses, made from solid wood or brick, with windows and roofs. She was amazed at how foreign something once so simple and familiar had become to her. The bitumen of the roads had been pulled up over time, leaving simple dirt roads scattered with a top layer of gravel to reduce erosion during rainy periods.

She was vaguely aware of how many people had come out of their homes or to their windows to watch the strangers walk past. She smiled occasionally, mostly at the children, but tried to keep her eyes focused ahead, feeling a little uncomfortable with the attention they were drawing.

Grace was wishing she had her rifle with her. She was scanning each person as quickly as her RD would let her, looking into houses to assess possible hidden dangers. All the while very aware of the lack of a weapon in her hands. She couldn’t very well draw her sidearm without provocation.

Hector took them to what appeared to be the centre of the township and they entered a large hall, designed by the looks of it to hold practically every citizen.

At the moment though it only held Jackson, Thalia, a woman who appeared around the same age as Hector who introduced herself as his wife, Serena, and a small boy about three years of age who was absently running around the open space. Hector and Serena’s son, Miles.

Dani nodded first to Thalia and shook her hand again and acknowledged Serena in the same manner, making a friendly nod towards Jackson again. 

Hadrell again stood post at the entrance of the hall, and Grace hung back from the group and observed from a distance, making sure she could see as much of the hall as possible.

Thalia leant forward and whispered to Dani “You can tell them to relax” she smiled and Dani returned it.

“I don’t think it’s in their DNA ma’am” she whispered back.

Thalia laughed and again took in the serious tall blonde soldier who, from the quick quirk of her lips, seemed to have heard their quiet exchange despite being quite a distance away.

Together they went back over their discussions from yesterday and proceeded to go over tentative trade proposals.

Perseverance agreeing that if they were to accept a trade route between the mainland, they could provide the mainland with the produce they used to before the machines. Fresh coffee, macadamia nuts, and fresh fruits. And once their solar panels, and ailing hydroelectric plants were back to full capacity they could even contribute excess energy back to the mainland. They acknowledged that it wasn’t much, but it was all they could really afford to contribute.

Dani began by going over the most pressing item on the list given to her by the Committee. She advised them that Prosperitas could provide a military presence, and/or military training to the community if they so desired but that they would not be permitting a trade in weaponry, or Legion derived technology of any kind, so soon into their alliance.

She then went on to indicated that Prosperitas could provide Perseverance with parts and machinery to fix or install the solar panels, agricultural machinery if needed, metals, wood, and textiles. They could also supply additional sources of protein, extra beef & poultry, eggs, soy, wheat and corn, any preserved or non-perishable food they might be interested in receiving. And importantly, they could supply medical aid in the form of extra medical personnel if needed, extra equipment, and medicines.

Dani could see Thalia’s hesitation to accept such an uneven exchange and she quickly spoke before the older woman could decline or amend the offer.

“Thalia. This is how it worked of us during the first few years of the war. The Arizona Base and the Texas Settlement had an abundance of everything we needed. When we set up the rest of the Settlements, we knew that it would take time for them to be able to manufacture or produce anything of any significant volume, but that didn’t diminish their need for what we had. So yes, the supply of goods to the Settlements was initially quite unbalanced, but over time, each Settlement became invaluable, not just in terms of their capacity to manufacture and produce, but simply for their capacity to keep a portion of the population safe, fed, healthy and educated” she stopped and tried to convey her honest desire to have this alliance

“We will give what we can, so that you can continue to do what it is you’ve obviously been doing so well, and in time, as your community grows and becomes stronger, you may be in a position to contribute back. There is, and will never be, an expectation of an equal trade among us, and that may sound a bit like socialism to some, but frankly I don’t care. My main concern is to make sure that humanity survives and thrives. Our Settlements have had the benefit of thousands of great minds working together to make our network succeed. We also benefited from the abundance of material left behind after the first strike”.

She paused briefly “The day we refer to as Judgement Day. Legion decimated the population and took out most of the east coast, but what was left behind was made good use of. So, I’m the first to acknowledge our position of relative privilege when it comes to resources. I don’t expect you to be able to trade equally, but I do hope for an alliance that will let us trade what we can, when we can. To allow our people safe passage between our settlements if they chose to”

Dani paused and collected her thoughts. “I know what it’s like to have somebody come to your home, to tell you they know better, to use you or your resources, to trade unfairly. The corruption and the poverty, the lack of autonomy that brings with it”

She paused again and looked directly into Thalia’s warm brown eyes “And it may sound naive when I say it, but believe me it’s not, I can promise you that as long as I am Commander of Prosperitas, that will not happen here”

Thalia took in the young Commander, and like virtually everyone before her, she felt a desire to trust in Dani, to encourage her people to trust in her. She felt the innate goodness, the lack of deception, and mostly she felt the ferocity behind her convictions. She believed Dani, but it wasn’t simply up to her.

Thalia nodded and took Dani’s hands in hers, squeezing them in a way that only a grandmother could, and Dani immediately softened. “I will tentatively accept your offer to become allies” Dani smiled brightly “But this is not something only I can decide on. We’ll need to hold a vote”

“Of course” Dani sobered and nodded her agreement.

Serena leant in conspiratorially and whispered “but between you and me, the prospect of chocolate, alcohol, and new clothes will be enough to get everyone’s vote” she winked and Dani laughed.

Grace smiled over the exchange, and noticed, not for the first time, the older woman watching her curiously.

Dani reached into her small pack and pulled out a binder. I’ve had each settlement draw up an inventory of exactly what we can provide. We won’t know how much we can provide until other communities like yours reach out, but believe me, we will make it work” She handed the binder to Thalia who quickly passed it to Hector.

Thalia spoke again, this time with a distinct absence of formality in her voice “The town is literally bursting to meet our new friends. Please. Join us for a meal in a few hours, after Hector takes you on a tour?” She asked.

Dani nodded quickly and accepted the offer “Of course”

“Commander” Grace spoke quickly.

The corner of Dani’s lip raised, and she quickly excused herself to go over to her tall, worried partner.

“Yes my love” she whispered.

Grace whispered back. Her face serious. “Dani, it’s one thing for you to walk around here with only Hadrell and myself and two handguns. It’s a totally different scenario accepting an invitation where there will likely be a thousand or more people” her blue eyes showing clear concern for Dani’s safety.

Dani acknowledged her concern “I know Grace” she then took Graces hand in hers “But it’s also an important statement for us to make. It will imbue a sense of trust that ten diplomatic meetings between leaders never could”

Grace sighed at the look on Dani’s face and knew her mind was made up. She looked down into her partners dark eyes and couldn’t help but nod her consent.

Dani smiled and turned back to the table “Hector” the man stood “how about that tour?”

He quickly rounded the table with his wife and child and they exited the building, everyone but Thalia who stayed behind to mull over their upcoming alliance.

She decided that not only did she trust Dani, she liked her. She smiled as she tried to imagine this young girl, commanding what was left of the human population on the mainland.

Of course, Thalia only though of Dani as a young girl in comparison to herself, she knew that Dani was an accomplished woman who had obviously fought tirelessly to get where she was, she was definitely battle hardened, but it hadn’t made her cynical, she had an innate goodness that simply radiated from her.

Thalia slowly made her way to the town’s main dining area to begin preparations for a lunch feast. The cooks wouldn’t be happy, but what could they say. She chuckled.

***

Hector took them in an electric vehicle up to a ridge that overlooked their main grazing areas which doubled as solar farms. “We grow our own wheat, soy, and rice, and of course as I mentioned earlier we fish and we graze cattle, pigs and chickens” he circled the ridge and even wider farming land opened up “because we have a year round growing season, our produce is pretty diverse and usually more than we can consume which makes the pigs and chickens really happy” he smiled broadly. “we plant bananas, taro, guava, nuts, leafy greens, beans, papaya, corn, squash, potatoes, sweet potato, peppers, pineapples, tomatoes, and a few other vegetable” he said with pride in his voice.

“Oh my god” Dani groaned “I would give my little finger for a banana!”

Hector’s smile turned into a laugh. He drove for a few minutes then parked the car, telling them he’d be right back before disappearing into the dense bush. He reappeared about five minutes later carrying a clump of bananas and handed them happily to Dani.

Grace couldn’t help but smile at the look on her partners face. She watched Dani hand them out, spending a moment just looking at hers before snapping it open and taking a bite. She groaned in delight and Grace had to swallow hard as she reacted to the sound of Dani’s enjoyment.

They drove for around another ten minutes and came to what was obviously a power plant and Evelyn immediately pulled out her notepad and started jotting down notes. “We route all of our solar, wind, hydro, and thermal energy through this plant. It provides us with more than enough energy to sustain our community as it is, but we could definitely use a had with repairs and upkeep” he looked at Evelyn who was busily scribbling in her notepad.

Hector called out for the head engineer to come to the gate.

“This is Marcus, our head engineer” He introduced them. “Marcus, do you think you could take Dr Beraud through our facility?”

Dani nodded consent when Hadrell indicated his desire to go with Evelyn.

Evelyn spoke quickly “This might take a while Dani, have lunch without us okay”

Dani nodded

“Save us a plate” Hadrell said with a hint of regret in his eyes. Grace smiled and assured him they’d leave plenty for him.

Hector took Dani and Grace to the closest bay where the fishing vessels were moored, most looking like they needed some form of maintenance or repair.

“We’ve become experts in repurposing and upcycling everything” Hector said proudly, but to be honest, we wouldn’t say no to some new parts, new nets, and some paint” he smiled.

He found Jackson who introduced them to a group of approximately twenty young men and women who served as the communities law-enforcement and mini militia. They were eager to meet the new visitors and tried to bail up Grace with questions about the military on the mainland, about the machines and battle tactics against them. A few of the group even started asking her questions about her scars.

Dani saw her lovers’ discomfort and promised Jackson that she would organise a proper discussion between his team and hers in the near future.

Hector leant in as they moved along apologising for their eagerness “Jackson and his crew have taken their roles quite seriously. Most of the militia members have actual jobs around the community, but they don’t let that get in the way of regular training or maintaining their small stockpile of weapons. We may not have had an encounter with the machines in over a decade, but they are anything but complacent. Because we don’t actually have a need for a military, they serve dual roles and act as deputies for our sheriff if needed”

Dani raised her eyebrows “are they often needed?”

Hector laughed and shook his head “hardly. Our Sheriff is also one of our main chef” he chuckled again “the people wanted the sense of security that came with a structured law and order system, but honestly, everyone quickly discovered that in a community this small, everyone plays a role, and everyone contributes, so we don’t have many issues with lawlessness. Maybe a few petty theft issues each year from some of the youngsters. Maybe a fight or two to break up every so often” he sighed happily “We’re pretty grateful not to need Jackson and his crew full-time, but we make sure they’re respected for what they do, and what they’re willing to do” he smiled again and looked over at Dani and Grace “Your arrival is the closest any of them have come to actually being called on” 

Dani smiled back, nodding both her approval and her understanding. She knew that it was a person’s sense of belonging and sense of purpose which could make or break a small community. It’s exactly the same sentiment she employed in the early days of spreading their resources and personnel amongst the Settlements.

They passed the next hour or so walking through the town where Hector pointed out the small hospital, a repurposed one story building where they’d collected and moved all of the medical equipment they could find, he showed them the school, the large playgrounds, and even larger workshops where the younger generations became could learn technical skills by becoming apprentice engineers, builders, cooks & mechanics.

Dani had to admit she was thoroughly impressed. She hoped that one day Prosperitas could become something like this, where children would play and learn out in the open instead of in underground bomb shelters.

Soon the smell of cooking food wafted through the grounds and Dani’s stomach grumbled loudly. Grace broke out in a grin.

Hector laughed and placed a warm arm on Dani’s shoulder “Thalia’s cooking will do that to most people” he said.

****

They entered the hall and Hector took them to the table at the head of the room where Thalia and a few other older community members sat.

Dani introduced both Grace and herself to them all, and took the seats offered to them. Hector took his seat next to Grace, and his wife Serena and their son Miles joined them.

Grace was initially on high alert as people started filtering in. Using her RD to check IR and X-ray for everyone who filed into the large hall. She wished that Hadrell was here, and as if hearing her thoughts, he trotted into the hall and headed to their table. Hector immediately made room for him.

“Eve?” Dani queried.

“I took her back to the beach, she said she had too many notes to write up, too many plans to draw. You should have seen her Commander. I’ve never seen her so engrossed or excited about anything” His smile conveyed his affection for the tall doctor and both Dani and Grace smiled at his not often seen softer side.

As the room became full Thalia stood and the hall immediately quietening as the elder rose to speak.

Out of the corner of her eye Grace caught sight of an unkept middle-aged man stumbling through the door of the hall and her instincts went on high alert. He approached the front of the table with uneven steps and glared in Dani’s direction in a way that made Grace place her hand discretely over her sidearm.

He stood on unsteady feet and looked around the room. “You’re all fools!” he yelled, clearly drunk. “If you think this little wetback is hear to help us”

Dani’s eyes darkened and her jaw clenched at the term she hadn’t heard in decades. She slowly stood and rounded the table, flanked by Grace. She wasn’t here to cause trouble, but she also wasn’t here to be insulted.

“Why do you think I’m here?” she asked calmly but with fire in her eyes.

“Murphy!” Hector shouted out. “Go home!”

The man named Murphy made his way closer to their able and Grace stepped forward. Hadrell made to stand as well but Dani shook her head, she didn’t want this to needlessly escalate.

“Little wetback needs a bodyguard does she” he said with venom in his voice. He looked past the tall soldier and straight at Dani. “You people caused all of this” He raised his hands gesturing toward Dani.

Dani tried to keep her voice even “I’m sorry you feel that way sir. I am honestly just here to offer an alliance”

“You’re sorry!” he practically screamed and smashed his half empty bottle of home brew alcohol against the closest table.

Grace stepped forward again.

“I lost everything because of you, my wife, my children, my unit” His eyes filled with hatred.

The tall soldier had placed herself in front of the smaller woman and he swiped the broken bottle at her, cutting deeply into her forearm.

Grace had seen it coming but she took the blow and caught his arm on the downswing, easily disarming him with a twist of his wrist. With a single arm, she picked him up by his collar and held him slightly above the ground.

“Apologise” she said through clenched teeth, her eyes boring into him.

“Murphy, you are not welcome here. Leave” Thalia spoke loudly and clearly.

“Grace” Dani came up beside her and placed a hand on her back. “Put him down” she said softly.

Grace, breathing evenly to control her anger and slowly let the mans’ feet touch the ground.

Dani gently moved Grace behind her, and she stood her ground in front of the angry man.

Murphy seethed and looked between the tall soldier and the Mexican woman they called the Commander.

“I’m not here for trouble sir. But I also will not condone violence against me or my people” she said steadily “Obviously you’ve experienced a great loss” she said gently, trying to deescalate. “You anger is warranted, but if you’ll allow me, I can explain exactly how it all happened. I assure you, it was not an assault from a foreign country, but a piece of technology developed by the U.S military which became self-aware and launched the attack”

Murphy scoffed and clenched his fists. Grace tried to step forward again but Dani put her hand out, indicating for her to remain behind her.

“Murphy!” Thalia said sternly from the table.

Dani saw it. The moment the man decided to try again, the moment he let his emotion take control. And she was ready. She blocked his first swing with her forearms and punched him in the face, breaking his nose. She ducked out of the way of his second swing and brought her fist up to his ribs. He tried to charge her, but stepped sideways and swept her leg around, taking his feet out from under him and putting him on the ground.

Dani stood up and stepped back. Murphy lay panting on the floor “I suggest you leave” she said in the tone of the Commander.

He grit his teeth and got back up on unsteady legs. But much to Dani’s dismay, his anger was just as fierce, and his fists still clenched. She recognised his anger. He wasn’t going to stop until he couldn’t get back up again.

She exchanged a quick glance with Grace and nodded. As soon as Murphy charged again, Grace reached out with one arm, grasped his neck and lifted him clean off the floor, holding him in a vice grip as he struggled.

Murphy tried to pry her hand away but she was inhumanly strong, he grasped at her arm, and felt the blood oozing from the wound he’d inflicted, but he also felt metal under his fingers, he looked the woman in the eye and saw an almost iridescent glow in her eyes. “Fucking machines!” He spat.

Grace momentarily wanted to kill the man. Her anger at his vile attack against Dani making her not particularly care if she snapped his neck or threw him away.

“Grace” Dani said gently from behind her.

Grace clenched her jaw and closed her eyes for a second, bringing her temper and her augments back under control.

She took a cleansing breath and with great ease, she tossed him like a sack of potatoes almost half-way across the room. She knew Dani didn’t want her or Hadrell using unnecessary force, but she wanted to ensure that everyone in the hall saw her capabilities and knew not to try the same.

Murphy landed hard but got up quickly and spat in Dani’s direction. Immediately four men from surrounding tables grabbed him and pulled him out of the hall.

Dani moved towards her tall lover and held her bleeding arm.

“It’s fine Dani” she reassured her partner. “Are you okay?”

Dani nodded, wrapping a napkin around her partners’ bleeding wound. She had tears in her eyes and Grace crouched down so she could be eye level with her.

“Hey, talk to me” she said with concern.

Dani took a deep breath and shook her head. “It’s been a couple decades since I’ve felt that kind of hatred” she sighed “We spend so long fighting Legion, in a war where things like race and colour genuinely didn’t matter anymore, I naively believed that was the case everywhere” she looked at Grace sadly. “I’m sorry you got hurt”

Grace squeezed Dani’s hand and smiled at her reassuringly “It’s just a scratch Dani. I promise. Look” she pulled the napkin away and Dani could see that the mesh biolayer hadn’t been pierced, and that Grace’s skin was already beginning to knit together.

Dani took a deep breath and looked back at the table.

Thalia gestured back to her seat and Dani quietly complied, followed by Grace. 

Thalia again raised her hand and the hall became silent.

In a voice that could be heard by everyone present, she addressed Dani “I apologise to our guests for that abhorrent behaviour. Please know, that Murphy does not represent, nor speak for us, and please accept our deepest apologies”.

Dani nodded graciously and smiled lightly up at the elder.

Thalia then turned back to the hall and began to speak in a commanding voice “You all know why we are here. You have all heard the stories of what happened on the mainland, that the war with the machines is now over” there were loud cheers from the crowd and Dani’s eyes widened at the response. Grace placed a hand on her thigh, and they exchanged a quick smile. 

“Here in Perseverance, we are all Ohana, and perhaps, if you all agree, one day we might include these people amongst us” again there was loud clapping.

“We have negotiated a trade agreement, and I have tentatively accepted this pending approval from everyone here. We shall vote on this as a community, and only then will a final decision be made.” Again, another round of clapping.

“Now eat” she said with a large smile on her face and the loudest round of applause and cheering ignited, followed by so much raucous discussion, laughter, and general light-hearted rowdiness that even Grace decided she would switch her RD into standby and try to enjoy the festivities.

“I cannot express how sorry I am for Murphy’s behaviour Dani” Thalia said quietly just to Dani and placed a comforting hand over her forearm. “I know it’s no excuse, but he was a soldier, away on administrative leave, when the attack happened. He never got over it” she said sadly “call it survivors guilt or PTSD, but it broke him and he never wanted to be fixed. You know those people who find it easier to hold onto their anger, let it fester until it makes them ugly on the inside” Dani nodded gently “Well, that’s Murphy. He’s stays in Perseverance because he’s able bodied, he contributes and mostly keeps to himself, but if this behaviour continues, I assure you it will not stand” She looked deeply into Dani’s eyes so she could see the truth of it, and Dani placed her hand over Thalia’s and squeezed.

“Thank you” she nodded, accepting the apology and accepting Thalia’s word.

Grace had heard the conversation and smiled lightly. Thalia had been nothing but accommodating. The whole town, with the exception of Murphy, had seemingly welcomed them. Grace had detected no hidden weaponry of any type during their tour of the settlement, and as she monitored the vitals of each person they spoke to, she could pick up no deception, again, except for Murphy. She nodded inwardly and relaxed even more more

As Dani ate, she marvelled at the efficiency of the message Thalia just delivered to her people, and the individual one to herself. Straight to the point, no embellishing, no flowery words. And it seemed that her people appreciated her frankness. She filed that away. There was rarely a learning opportunity she didn’t’ take advantage of, and she knew that she could learn a lot from this older woman.

“They respect you without hesitation or question” Dani turned to Thalia and commented.

“As do your people I presume” Thalia returned with a smile and Dani nodded.

“How did you become their leader Thalia” Dani asked genuinely curious.

“By luck of age and experience I guess” she answered “My father was an elder when he was alive, and as our numbers dwindled, people started turning to me for advice. I couldn’t turn them away, so I took on the role, but Hector and a few others do the real work of running the town”

Dani smiled, knowing the older woman was downplaying her role.

“And you Dani? How did you become Commander? I assume you were just a girl when the machines attacked? When Judgement Day happened?”

Dani nodded sadly “It’s a long story, one which I’ll happily share one day. But suffice it to say that I didn’t do it alone. I had lots of help, and lots of people who believed in me. I kind of fell into the role of Commander. It wasn’t something I wanted, but like you, it wasn’t something I could turn away from either”

Thalia smiled knowingly and placed her hand over Dani’s arm.

“And her?” she nodded towards the tall quiet soldier by Dani’s side.

“Grace?” Dani queried.

Thalia nodded “You two are together?” she said with a smile.

“Happily” Dani answered back quickly, returning the smile.

“What is her story?” Thalia enquired with a twinkle in her eye, having witnessed the soldiers’ exceptional strength just moments before, and seeing her already healing wound. “Is …. she human?” Thalia said with some hesitation, not wanting to offend her guests.

Dani grasped Graces hand and Grace smiled gently at her lover before meeting Thalia’s eyes.

“Yes, she’s most definitely human, just enhanced” she looked back at Grace “as far as her story goes” Dani smiled “That’s for Grace to share if and when she feels like sharing it” Dani said diplomatically, and Thalia chuckled. 

“Fair enough” and with that they went back to enjoying the feast prepared for them.

After the long lunch Hector, followed closely by his inquisitive son, took the three back through town and towards the ridge where their jeep was parked. William had already unhooked the trailer, so they drove the Jeep across the drawbridge and hector and Miles followed by foot to see them off.

Dani indicated for them to stop for a moment and she got out of the vehicle and walked back toward Hector and the water. Grace got out and took up a lookout position on the road leading from the town. Hadrell leant against the hood of the vehicle giving the two leaders time and space. 

Miles, intrigued by the tall female soldier ran over to her and tried to climb up Grace’s body. She happily indulged him for a while before Hector called him back, he stood still for a few seconds and then wandered away to the parked Jeep, trying to climb the large man who picked him up and placed him on the hood of the jeep. Miles proceeded to poke and pull at all the things young children find interesting to poke at.

Dani extended her hand to Hector and he was quick to take it.

“Perhaps one day, you and your family can come see some of Prosperitas” Dani grinned and leant forward “It’s certainly not as tranquil as what you have here, but it does grow on you”

“I’d like that” he said with a large smile and Dani couldn’t help but return it.

The draw bridge had been retracted and Dani went back to the waters edge and marvelled at what the town had accomplished. She turned around to tell Hector just that when she noticed Miles in the back of the jeep. He’d obviously pulled himself into the vehicle while they’d been taking and, with the curiosity only children have, he availed himself of everything within arms-reach.

To her horror he was currently playing with her sidearm. She knew it was loaded, and she knew the safety was off, the safety had been off for the last 20 years.

“Hector” Dani said quietly and calmly, not wanting to alert or scare the young boy.

Grace heard the concern in her lovers’ voice and began to turn around from her position further out on the road.

Hadrell heard it too and turned from where he stood at the front of the vehicle.

Hector saw the look on Dani’s face and followed her eyeline toward the vehicle. He moved immediately but so too did Hadrell, and in doing so they startled the young child, and the gun in the boys’ hand went off.

Dani’s body lurched slightly, and she took a half step back

“Dani!” Grace looked into her lovers surprised eyes and started toward her.

Dani’s hands went to her stomach and Grace watched in horror as blood slipped out between her fingers.

“Grace” Dani called out in a confused voice as her legs started to give.

“Fuck!” The large bearded man swore as he reached the vehicle and pulled the weapon out of his son’s hands. He went to move towards Dani, and as he did the tall blonde rushed past him, closing the distance at an inhuman speed. _‘fuck!’_ he swore internally again.

“Dani!” Grace raced toward her falling partner but, even with her enhanced speed, she was too far away and couldn’t get to her fast enough.

Dani’s body crumpled to the ground and tipped over the edge of the platform and into the fast rushing water below.

Grace watched in horror, but her body never stopped moving, she charged after her fallen partner and dove into the water without a second thought. It was freezing against her heated skin, but she barely registered it. She pulled her body through the water as she used her RD to track Dani’s heat signature. She was just ahead of her, but the current was fast, and Dani’s body tumbled as it bounced off submerged rocks and driftwood.

Hadrell threw himself into the drivers’ side of the vehicle, slamming it into gear and gunned it along the road downstream, trying to get a fix on Grace and Dani via his IR.

Hector stood with Miles in his arms, wide eyed and in shock over what had just happened.

In the fast flowing water, Grace pulled hard with her arms against each rock or branch she came across, letting the strong current and her strokes close the distance quickly. She reached out once but Dani’s arm slipped just out of reach, she reached out a second time and managed to get her fingers around one of Dani’s wrists.

With her other hand she grabbed onto the next fixed object that came into view, another submerged branch, and grasped it with a vice grip. Her body jolted harshly under the twin strain on her shoulders as she stopped them both immediately.

She pulled Dani toward her and pushed them to the surface. She reached the surface and gasped as her burning lungs filled with air, but as Dani’s head followed hers, there was no married gasp for air. Dani was unconscious.

Grace pulled them to the bank and dragged Dani quickly out of the freezing water.

“Dani” She spoke firmly to the prone woman. Her RD immediately telling her that Dani had no respiratory rate and no pulse. She was also hypothermic, with a core body temperature close to 15 degrees celsius.

Grace dropped to her knees and immediately started chest compressions, pushing two quick breaths into Dani’s lungs for every thirty quick compressions trying to bring Dani’s heart back into rhythm.

“Come on Dani!” Grace ordered firmly. As she performed her compressions, she scanned Dani’s body again, she found the bullet wound in her abdomen and saw the bullet lodged somewhere behind her liver. She had already lost a lot of blood, but Grace had to get her breathing first. So she went back to focusing on CPR.

In the distance she heard the approaching vehicle, and Hadrell was soon by her side with a medical kit.

“epinephrine” Grace grunted and her quickly drew a dose and found a vein to feed it into.

“Come on Dani” Grace coaxed her lover. “Come on”

Grace’s RD picked up a mild flutter in Dani’s heart “v-tach” she called out and Hadrell started to unpack the defibrillator.

Grace, heart racing and panicked, couldn’t wait for the paddles to charge, she formed a fist over Dani’s chest and quickly brought it down over her sternum delivering a swift, almost violent thump.

Within a second Dani arched and began spewing water from her lungs.

Grace and Hadrell quickly rolled her onto her side, letting her vomit up the water while keeping her airway a clear as possible.

“I need to check the wound” Grace told Hadrell and with Dani on her side she easily lifted up her shirt, exposing dark bruising on her lower back indicating internal bleeding _‘fuck’_ Grace thought to herself. She inspected the entrance wound which was still oozing blood and she placed a haemostatic dressing firmly over it and applied pressure.

Dani moaned against the pain and grasped at Grace’s arm, but Grace used her free hand to stroke her forehead and tried to calm her.

“Dani, you’re going to be okay. Let me do this. We need to stop the bleeding okay”

Dani moaned again and just held Grace’s wrist weakly. No longer trying to pull her away, but not wanting to let go either. 

Wordlessly Hadrell, who’d had basic field trauma training, recognised the need to focus on the next most pressing issue. The hypothermia, which could easily stop Dani’s heart again if they didn’t start warming her up.

He pulled out a pair of scissors and started cutting away Dani’s clothing. Pulling it out from underneath her prone body. He pulled her shoes off and stripped her pants.

Grace, having slowed the bleeding, deftly set up an IV and started running 2 litres of saline and two units of blood then went back to applying pressure to the entry wound.

Hadrell unfolded a thermal blanket and as best he could he pulled it over Dani’s cold body. He then placed his hand under the blanked and over the dressing Grace was holding at her lovers’ abdomen.

Without words, Grace quickly stood up and shucked her own clothing and quickly got under the blanket facing Dani.

“you too” Grace said through chattering teeth. “I’m not warm enough yet”. She reached behind her and turned on the oxygen tank, unfurled the chord and placed the mask over Dani’s nose and mouth.

Grace was warmer than Dani who was still hypothermic, but her submersion in the water had left her body well below it’s normal running temperature, so she had to get Dani warmer quicker.

Hadrell quickly stood and pulled off his clothing, leaving himself just in his boxers and slid under the blanket against Dani’s cold back. He pulled her cold limp body against his warm chest, and Grace drew herself closer to her lover, talking to her, stroking her face.

They stayed like this for long moments while Grace monitored her body temp and her BP. She had to walk a fine line between making sure they got help before she lost too much blood and moving her before her body had warmed enough. She’d already gone into arrest once and she didn’t want to risk it again.

It took a long 5 minutes, but when Dani was warmer and stable enough to move Grace told Hadrell to get a stretcher. They quickly dressed themselves and placed Dani securely inside the back of the Jeep.

“We can’t call for a medical evac from here” Hadrell stated obviously. Asking Grace where she wanted him to drive to. 

Grace nodded. “Lets just get her back to the cabin for now, we have medical supplies there”

She sat by Dani’s side as the vehicle sped away and within a few minutes they were back at the cabin and Evelyn came out to greet them.

Her smile dropped as soon as she saw the look in Williams eyes. She knew something had gone horribly wrong.

Grace jumped out and started pulling the stretcher from the Jeep. Hadrell quickly grabbed the other end and together they took her to the bedroom and lay the stretcher on the bed.

“What happened?!” Evelyn asked in shock. Dani was so still and pale. She quickly knelt and took one of her hand is hers as Grace worked around her.

“Bullet wound. She fell into the water. It was an accident” Grace said through clenched teeth.

“ _Merde_ ” Evelyn swore. “What do you need me to do?”

“I need you to try and find a way to contact an out post or a settlement. We need to get her medical aid ASAP” Grace spoke while administering to Dani. Suspending a fresh saline bag from the bedpost, administering a painkiller, pulling out the tools she would need for the upcoming procedure.

Evelyn took a calm breath, her friend was obviously distressed “Grace, there’s no way we can get help in time. It took _us_ two weeks just to get here”.

“Fuck!” Grace swore as she suddenly remembered where they were. She ran her hands through her hair.

“I can use the HAM radio on the yacht and call for help” Hadrell volunteered but Grace shook her head.

“She doesn’t have two weeks for them to get here by boat, and I saw the airport. It isn’t an immediate option” She said flatly, “we need to operate now”.

“Can we take her back into town?” Evelyn queried.

Grace shook her head “I saw their medical facilities” she said plainly. “We have trauma supplies here, and I don’t want to move her again, so we’re going to have to do it here”

Hadrell nodded and went to set up, Evelyn quickly followed him and Grace was alone with Dani.

Dani’s lips were no longer blue, and her skin felt cool but not cold. Her pulse was steady as were her breath sounds. But Grace knew she couldn’t leave the wound in her abdomen untended for much longer.

Dani was bleeding internally, and the bullet was still inside her.

She took Dani’s smaller hand in hers and kissed it. Dani’s hand squeezed and Grace looked up to find that she was starting to come around.

“Dani” Grace immediately sat on the bed and stroked her cheek. “Dani, you’re okay, you’re safe”

“Grace?” Dani’s unfocused gaze landed on her and Grace could see the pain in her eyes.

“Shhh” don’t try to talk. “Rest okay” she kissed her hand again and placed her warm hand against her cheek.

Dani relaxed and her eyes closed again.

Her dark skin was clammy, and her respiratory rate had increased, signs of hypovolemic shock. Grace couldn’t tell how much blood Dani had lost, but her blood pressure was slowly dropping, so she knew she’d have to work quickly to locate the bleeds, close them off, and extract the bullet. Her hand’s shook at the thought.

Doing field surgery as a medic all those years ago was entirely different to a procedure like this. And, she would be performing in on Dani, the most important person in her world.

Hadrell walked back into the room. “I’ve set up the equipment and cleared the dining table”

Grace took a deep breath and nodded. Together they moved Dani to the hard, clean surface which had been draped in a clean cloth. They had no way to put Dani under anaesthesia, so she made sure she was sedated and had plenty of morphine running through her drip.

She draped Dani’s abdomen, and put on a pair of gloves. Giving Evelyn and Hadrell the task of keeping Dani still as she operated.

Evelyn moved to Dani’s head, took her hand and stroked her forehead gently.

Hadrell stood opposite Grace ready to help at her direction.

Grace applied a liberal amount of betadine solution to the exposed area, used topical anaesthetic to numb Dani’s skin. And then her hands began to tremble as she thought about the task ahead of her.

She knew that the bullet had pushed through Dani’s liver came to rest somewhere behind it. So she knew that she’d likely need to excise the damaged portion of Dani’s liver to stop the bleeding as fast as possible, remove the excised tissue, find the bullet, and make sure she closed off any other major bleeds she could find.

She was a field medic, not a surgeon. She knew what she needed to do in theory, but she’d never been trained to do anything like this before.

She picked up the scalpel and took a steadying breath.

Just as she was about to make the first cut, there was a knock on their door and immediately Grace put down the scalpel and went for her sidearm.

She saw an unarmed human presence behind the door and nodded at Hadrell who opened it. It was Hector.

“We have a doctor” He said quickly. “an ex-navy trauma surgeon. He can help”

Hadrell put his body in-front of the door and stared the man down

“It was your son that shot her!” He said angrily, knowing that his anger was more over his inability to stop the young child from picking up the gun than it was actually directed at the three-year-old.

“Hadrell” Grace said sternly. She could see the worry and the regret in Hectors eyes. And even though her partner was gravely ill, she knew it had been an accident, knew he was here now with help.

Hector nodded in apology “And I’m sorry. It was an accident. We want to help. If you’ll let us”

“Let them in” Grace spoke firmly. Pragmatically, she knew that Dani had better odds if somebody with actual surgical experience operated on her, even if he was with the people who had shot her lover, accident or not.

She made her way to the door, pulling off her gloves as she did so.

Hector waved behind him, and a tall, slender black man approached carrying an old doctors bag. He had the air of ex-military about him, and Hadrell immediately stood aside to let him in.

“Doctor Guiria” The tall man reached out his hand an immediately shook both their hands. He then looked past Grace and without asking, walked over to the dining table.

He was both impressed and concerned by what he saw.

He hadn’t seen single use sterile equipment for years, and items like draping, IV bags, and betadine washes were a thing of the past here on the island.

His concern was for the woman under the draping who was unconscious and very much in need of surgery.

“Is she sedated” he asked quickly.

“I’ve given her a 3mg of lorazepam, morphine IV, and a local to the entry site, we don’t have any general with us. BP 90/60, resp 40, pulse 70. Gunshot wound to the upper right quadrant, liver perforation at the very least, the bullet is still inside. She stopped breathing and went into v-tach earlier, but has acceptable breath sounds now. I’m still running her on oxygen. Her abdomen is firm and she has mottling on her lower back, so I’m running 2L of ringers to compensate for the fluid loss, but we need to find the source of blood loss soon.” Grace rattled off in a straight and professional tone, she looked him in the eyes, her face softened and he could see fear enter them “I’ve never performed open surgery like this before” she admitted and stepped back to allow him room, essentially handing the patient over to him.

Dr Guiria nodded quickly; he was impressed with the striking tall blonde woman who barely took her eyes off the woman on the table. She was obviously a soldier, he could tell from the way she held herself, and likely a medic herself if her trauma knowledge was any indication.

He also noticed the marking on her skin, surgical scars? For what purpose? But that was a question for another time. He nodded and, although not having used them in several years, his training made him grab a pair of gloves from the equipment available and pull them on before inspecting the wound.

“Scalpel” he asked, and immediately Grace handed one to him.

Hadrell kept guard at the door, Evelyn remained at Dani’s head and Grace now stood opposite the dark doctor, awaiting any instructions. Hector stood nervously by the door. Not wanting to intrude, but desperately hoping that the doctor could help. He was absolutely horrified by what had happened, and even though it was an accident, it could potentially put their entire alliance in jeopardy.

The doctor worked quickly and efficiently cutting a wider, cleaner access to the bullet entry. Grace was put at easy by his confident, steady hand, and his clear focus. They had no suction device, so she handed him absorbent gauze to try and clear away the blood obscuring his vision.

“The left lobe is severely damaged” he said as he worked. “I’ll need to clamp off the left portal vein and resect most of the lobe”

Grace nodded and prepared a clamp before he could ask for one.

He took it, clamped off the main blood supply to the portion of the liver he was about to remove, and with deft hands, resected the damaged part of the organ. With each cut, he clamped any major blood vessels which were dissected along the way.

Grace noticed that a fine sheen of sweat had broken out over Dani’s body, and her resp rate had increased. Indicating that her body was responding to the pain even though she was unconscious. She used her RD to quickly make sure her vitals were still within normal ranges. He blood pressure was still low, but not unexpectedly considering the blood loss and the open surgery being conducted.

“The bullet is sitting posterior to the lobe doctor, her stomach and surrounding structures all seem clear” Grace informed him. She could see the bullet using her X-ray, and could tell, now that he had exposed the organ, that it hadn’t travelled any further. She scanned Dani’s body for any fragments but couldn’t see any. The bullet had thankfully remained in-tact.

Dr Guiria nodded, but quietly wondered how the tall soldier knew this information.

He gently pulled out the resected tissue and Grace held out a dish for him to deposit it in. Her stomach turned as a piece of Dani’s body rested heavily in her hands. She quickly put the tray aside and handed him more absorbent gauze.

“Okay, I see it”

Grace immediately handed him a pair of forceps which he took wordlessly and inserted into the wound. Within seconds he extracted the small piece of metal and handed the forceps back to Grace.

“Aorta seems fine” he said matter-of-factly and Grace let a breath out that she didn’t know she’d been holding. If Dani had even a slight tear in the large blood vessel, it could compromise the tissue and cause a major life-threatening bleed.

“Sutures?” the doctor asked. He looked at the instrument tray and couldn’t see any.

“We use this now” Grace calmly advised and picked up the small pen like device “It’s a laser that opens and seals tissue”

He shook his head having never seen, let alone used a device like this before. “You’re going to have to do this part soldier”

Grace nodded and pulled on a pair of gloves. She and the doctor traded places.

“I’ll close off the vessels, you release the clamps” she said deftly, and pointed the device to the larges of blood vessels he’d clamped off during the resection.

The doctor watched in fascination as the pen-like device with a fine nozzle shaped end was aimed at the vessel, a sharp white light appeared at the tip, there was a slight singing sound, and immediately the tissue it was aimed at sealed. He blew out an impressed breath and moved to the next vessel.

Together Grace and the doctor worked almost silently as they cauterised a half dozen or more incised blood vessels. He would indicate the vessel by grasping the clamp it was attached to, Grace would use the laser to close the vessel and he would release the clamp, and they would watch to ensure no blood leaked out of the seal before moving onto the next.

Dani’s breathing had become more rapid, and she was trembling slightly on the table, but so far she hadn’t moved at all. And Grace was grateful that they’d manage to almost finish before the sedation wore off.

“Do you have a saline flush?” The doctor asked hopefully

Grace used a large pipette to wash the exposed wound, flushing away any blood so they could see the operation site clearly.

“okay” he nodded “lets close her up” and again Grace took the plasma laser and the doctor held the incision site closed while she sealed it. He noted that the white mark the laser left behind on the skin of the woman on the table was remarkably similar to the white markings on the tall soldier opposite him.

They removed the draping, placed a light dressing over the wound, and pulled up a sheet around the prone woman who had, thankfully, yet to wake up.

“What kinds of antibiotics to you have?” The doctor enquired.

“The strongest we have with us is oral ciprofloxacin” she said hesitantly, knowing that it was broad spectrum and possibly not enough if Dani developed a strong infection.

“That’s more than we have” he said with a gentle smile. “she’ll need it prophylactically for at least the next 7 days” The tall woman nodded and he snapped off his gloves.

“Thank you” Grace said seriously, offering her hand to the doctor again.

He took it and shook it. “I have to tell you” he smiled gently “it was something to be working with all this again” he gestured to the instrument tray.

Grace nodded and smiled back. She went back to Dani’s side and did another quick RD scan. She hung another bag of fluids and added the morphine to the bag, trying to ensure her partner remained as pain free as she was able to.

“Medic?” the doctor asked.

Grace nodded “Used to be” she stroked Dani’s warm forehead.

“And now?” the doctor enquired.

Grace looked up at him and back down to her sick lover “That’s a conversation for another day doc” she smiled lightly and he nodded.

“Would it be okay if I came back tomorrow to check on her?”

Grace nodded.

“And if you need me, just go into town, somebody will know where I am”

“Will she be okay” Hector had moved further into the room and asked the doctor, a serious look of concern on his face.

“We’ll know over the next 24-48 hours” Doctor Gurira answered honestly.

Hector nodded and looked up at Grace. “I’m sorry for what happened, I don’t know what I can say or do to make up for it, but anything we have is yours if you need it”

Grace nodded silently.

Hector reached behind him and pulled out Dani’s sidearm, holding it, grip out towards Grace.

Grace’s chest tightened, knowing that it was Dani’s own weapon which had almost killed her. She took it from Hector and tucked it into the back of her own pants and signalled for them to go outside. She looked back to make sure Evelyn was still with Dani and followed the men outside.

“We don’t want any trouble” Hector immediately spoke.

“Nor we” Grace answered evenly.

Grace could see Hectors relief evident in the way his shoulders relaxed and his breath came out.

“My son. He didn’t mean for the gun to go off. He hasn’t really ever been around weapons” Hector tried to explain but Grace held up her hand.

“Look. I know it was an accident. And I know Dani does too” she looked back through the door. “We can talk about this later, but for now, I need to make sure Dani is going to be okay”

Hector nodded, but the look of uncertainty remained in his eyes.

She tried to keep her patience, taking a breath “Everything Dani said still stands” Grace assured the man earnestly. “When we get back to the mainland, we will establish a trade route to the island. We will share resources whether that be food or technology, and we will arrange transport to or from the mainland for anyone who wants it. We will provide medical supplies, help set up manufacturing plants, and make sure you’re as well stocked as any of the other Settlements. And in turn, if there’s anything you have the ability to produce on a large scale, then we will help set up a way to boost that so it can be distributed evenly across our network. But that’s only if that’s what you and your community vote for. We will happily help you with anything you need, but you are under no obligation to accept it if you wish to continue as an independent settlement”

Hector was a bit taken aback. This was the most the tall soldier had spoken since he’d met her. She sounded like she spoke for the older woman they called _‘Commander’_ And by the look on the large British soldiers’ face, she did. He nodded and held out his hand again.

“We’ll discuss details later” he agreed. “If you need anything, you know where we are” Grace nodded once and turned back to the hut. Hector watched as the General also nodded and went back inside.

He and the doctor got inside their vehicle and took a moment. They both knew that the situation could have ended very badly for their community had the Commander and her people intended it to.

***

Almost four hours after the surgery Dani started to regain consciousness and Grace felt helpless, watching her smaller frame try and fight back the pain wracking it. She’d given Dani as much morphine as was safe, but it wasn’t enough to dampen the effects of the trauma of open surgery and a liver resection. She was due for her next dose soon and Grace kept an eye on the clock, willing it to move faster.

“You’re okay my love” Grace leant down and kissed her sweaty forehead. Her hand held like a vice by Dani’s smaller one as a wave of pain and nausea washed over her.

“What happened” Dani asked through half opened eyes.

Grace placed a cool cloth over her forehead and wiped away the sweat “It was an accident at the outlook near the waterfall Dani” she began.

“My gun” Dani said quickly “The boy! Miles! Is he okay?”

Grace smiled gently. Of course, Dani would be concerned for the boy.

“Everyone is okay Dani” she kissed her hand “You’re going to be okay”

“It hurts” Dani said through a grimace and Grace stroked her forehead until the wave of pain passed.

“I know love. The bullet went through your liver and we had to perform surgery, so you’re going to be laid up for quite some time” she said with a quirk of a brow.

Dani nodded her understanding but didn’t say anything.

Grace stood up and drew a dose of morphine, she couldn’t wait the remaining half hour, she wasn’t going to watch Dani in pain. She came back to the bed and fed the medication into the canula in Dani’s arm.

Within minutes Dani had relaxed and drifted off again and Grace felt like she could breath.

“Will she be okay” Evelyn asked worriedly from the kitchen bench.

Grace clenched her jaw and folded her arms across her chest. Her RD constantly displaying Dani’s vitals to her.

“I hope so Eve” she said honestly. “We don’t have the sow release pain medication she needs, and we can’t keep giving her morphine”

“ _Porquoi_?” Evelyn asked, confused.

“Morphine is fine for short term field trauma, but it’s dirty. It’s highly addictive, and it can also compromise Dani’s respiratory system. She drowned Eve” Grace looked up at the tall doctor with tears in her eyes “we need to make sure that her lungs stay strong to ward off any collapse or infection, and we can’t do that if she’s knocked out on morphine all the time, but we also can’t just let her lie here in pain” she swiped at her tears and sat back heavily in her chair. 

Evelyn nodded “And we don’t have any other pain killers we can use?”

Grace shook her head “None that we can use right now. She just had major surgery without anaesthesia, she needs to be on heavy pain meds for the next 48 hours at least, and after that we can use something more mild like paracetamol which won’t cause her any drowsiness but is pretty effective if we keep the dose constant”

Evelyn nodded her understanding. She approached Grace and handed her a cup of hot tea, sitting next to her and placing a comforting hand on her thigh. They sat together in comfortable silence and watched Dani’s chest rise and fall, thankful she was alive, but anxious about what the next few days held.

***

Grace didn’t sleep at all that night. She sat by Dani and monitored her vitals all night. Wiping her sweaty brow with a cool cloth, administering the morphine when she was supposed to, and holding her lovers’ hand when she inevitably woke before the next dose, delirious and in pain. She gave her water and broth and antibiotics when she needed to, and when Dani had settled, Grace would just hold her hand and watch her silently, wiling her to be in less pain the next time she woke up. And the cycle continued into the next day.

Dr Guiria came back each day to check on Dani. He was satisfied with the way her wound was healing but shared the same concerns as Grace about the pain medication leaving her lungs compromised after the drowning.

On the third day their fears were realised when Dr Guiria picked up a slight rattle, low in Dani’s lungs. They propped her up in the bed, and started to withdraw her from the strong narcotic which had kept her sedated, switching her to the much lighter non-narcotic painkiller so that her lungs could have a chance at fighting it back.

“The ciproxin seems to be keeping her wound clean, but it’s not keep whatever’s in her lungs at bay” Grace said quietly. They’d been giving Dani the broad spectrum antibiotic which should have been effective against most bacterial infections, but the fact that her lungs were collecting fluid despite the medication meant that it might not be the right antibiotic for the infection she could be developing.

“It’s still too early to tell Grace. She hasn’t got a fever yet, and the rattle could just mean that the smaller air sacks low in her lungs have collapsed. Heavy sedation and poor respiration might be the cause. We just have to wait and see” Dr Guiria said plainly.

Grace nodded, she understood what the doctor was saying, but her gut told her that Dani was developing an infection.

Not long after the doctor left Dani stirred, and Grace quickly took her seat by the bedside.

“Grace” Dani called out quietly during a lucid moment.

“Yes my love” Grace answered, her heart clenching at the pained expression on her lovers’ face.

“It hurts” a tear slipped out from beneath her lids. And Grace felt absolutely helpless.

“I know sweetheart” she took the smaller hand in hers and kissed it gently “not for much longer though okay”

Dani nodded and closed her eyes, wiling herself to try and sleep through the worst of it. She felt Grace’s warm hand in hers and knew she was being taken care of. She breathed through the waves of pain until one of them swept her back into darkness.

***

On the fourth day Dani developed a fever and Grace’s stomach dropped. She saw the beginnings of pneumonia, the ciprofloxacin they’d been giving her obviously wasn’t what she needed and without the proper antibiotics, Dani would be left to fight the infection herself, which would be an almost impossible battle in her already weakened state.

Grace left Evelyn with Dani and raced out of the hut and drove into town. She tracked Dr Guiria down and ran through Dani’s change in symptoms, she then asked for a supply of azithromycin or doxycycline.

He shook his head sadly “Grace, we don’t have anything stronger than penicillin here”

“what?” she said flatly.

“We ran out of antibiotics after the first few years. We can manufacture simple penicillin, but anything more specific or targeted is beyond what we have capacity for”

She followed him into his small clinic and he grabbed enough for two weeks. “I know it’s no broad spectrum, but it’s all we have” 

Grace nodded and took the bottle, she thanked him and silently turned toward her vehicle. Her stomach in knots. _‘will it be enough?’_

He followed her outside and said “Come with me” 

She followed him into what looked like a pharmacy or dispensary of sorts and spoke quietly to the man behind the counter who quickly proceeded to pull open a few drawers and place what looked like dry roots, stems, and leaves into a large mortar and pestle. He ground them up and bottled the powder then gave it to the doctor who then gave it to Grace.

“It’s as close to an antibiotic and lung tonic as mother nature can provide us” he said

She frowned and took it and looked at him questioning “what do I do with it?”

“Steep a tablespoon in hot water, not boiling, let it cool, and then strain it. Get Dani to drink this three times a day” he sighed “If she has pneumonia, this is the only thing besides penicillin that we have on the island that I know of which can help her fight it”

Grace took the bottle and nodded again, taking a deep breath, praying it would be enough.

Dr Guiria felt for the tall soldier, but he offered up no useless platitudes. Life at Perseverance was peaceful, it was plentiful, it was hard work, and sometimes it was unforgiving. People got sick, and people died, often. But sometimes his medicine, or the medicine of the island would succeed, and a person would live. Sometimes they didn’t.

He knew that the Commander was a formidable woman. Healthy and strong, fierce, and strong willed if the rumours flying around the town were anything to go by. All those traits were going to be essential in the upcoming fight against the bacteria building in her lungs, trying to slowly suffocate her.

“If it comes to it” he said evenly “We do have a small, but mostly functional hospital, and a ventilator” He said, not needed to say that was only something they would consider if things became dire, if Dani could no longer breath on her own.

Grace tried to hide her fear and again nodded quietly.

“Can I come back with you to check on her?” He asked gently and Grace nodded. Together they got into the vehicle and headed towards the beach.

When they got back to the cabin, Evelyn was by Dani’s side talking to her as she slept. She acknowledged Grace and the doctor. Grace went to stand by the window, arms crossed, her worried blue eyes staring out to the sea. The doctor approached the bed and started his exam.

Evelyn came to her side and placed a gentle hand over Graces crossed one. Grace held out the bottles of medication and quickly explained the herbal remedy. They stood together quietly while the doctor worked.

“Her fever is pretty bad Grace” Evelyn spoke quietly, a touch of fear in her voice.

“102” Grace said automatically, and sighed “Her oxygen sats are still 90% so that’s good” she turned to Evelyn “The infection has spread since yesterday though, I can see it” her jaw clenched and her eyes went back to the water.

Dr Guiria looked up at the tall soldier, again wondering how she knew all this. His own assessment having just confirmed everything she had said.

“Grace?” Dani said weakly from the bed, her eyes struggling to find the tall woman.

Grace immediately went to her side and crouched low. Dani’s face was flushed, and her eyes concerned. “Tell me what happens” she swallowed “When this all falls apart”

Grace took her head, not understanding “What do you mean Dani?”

“When Legion attacks, how does it happen?”

Grace felt the air leave her lungs in a rush. Suddenly realising that Dani wasn’t lucid. Her fever was making her delirious and she was remembering. She bowed her head and squeezed her eyes shut against the tears that tried to pool.

She cleared her throat and looked into the deep brown eyes she loved so much.

“Somebody saves us, somebody brings us together and teaches us how to fight” she kissed Dani’s hand “She inspires us all to band together, to share resources, to help feed and shelter each other, to care for each other” Grace let a tear escape. “She told us that we all make our own fate, and we all decide together that that fate will be one without the machines, and so we fight back, for years we fight back with her leading us.” Grace kissed her hand again “and we win Dani” she smiled brightly, and Dani returned the smile.

“We win” she whispered back.

Dani coughed lightly and Grace stroked her forehead until her eyes closed and she fell into a restless sleep.

Dr Guiria indicated stepping out and Grace followed him into the lounge area. He took a seat as did Grace and Evelyn. 

“How do you know what her stats are, how did you know where the bullet was?” he asked plainly.

“It’s a long story doctor” she said with a wry smile.

“Simon” he corrected “call me Simon”

Grace nodded. “I’ll give you the long version when she’s well, but lets just say that Legion technology was way more advanced than anything we ever had, so our engineers” she made a quick nod towards Evelyn “figured out a way to incorporate some of that technology into the human anatomy”

“And your scars?” He asked.

“Same story Simon” she said again with a light smile. The soldier wasn’t going to tell him anything specific without her superiors go ahead and he could respect that.

“How many are there like you?”

Evelyn laughed gently “there are none like her doctor” she smiled charmingly and, he was quick to return the smile.

“General Hadrell and I are the only two here on the island, and there are only a few dozen of us left on the mainland Simon” Her eyes became serious “We don’t pose a threat to you or your people as long as you don’t to us or ours” Grace said evenly. “We were engineered to fight a war” she uncrossed her arms “And now that war is over” she looked at the floor. Realising not for the first time that as and Augment, she had no real purpose anymore.

Simon nodded. The scientist and the soldier in him burning to ask more questions. But Grace’s posture and the steady, uncompromising look in her eyes made him reign in his curiosity for now. Still. It was fascinating.

From what he’d observed and from the rumours around the town he knew that Grace was exceptionally fast, and exceptionally strong. He had gathered that she could read vitals and see internal structures just by looking at a person _‘Super soldier’_ the words popped into his head and he grinned inwardly, looking forward to the day he learnt more.

He stood and the two women saw him to the door, Evelyn offering to take him back into town which he kindly declined, telling them that he enjoyed the walk.

Grace and Evelyn went back to the bedroom to find Dani awake and seemingly upset about something. Her brows furrowed and tears in her eyes.

“Dani?” Grace said in concern quickly kneeling by the bed.

Dani’s head snapped up and she gasped “Oh my god! Grace, you’re alive” she said with a look verging on wonder. Her breaths coming short and fast.

Grace took her hand and brought it to her face, knowing that Dani wasn’t seeing her, but the Grace she remembered from her past. She could tell just by the way Dani said her name. But the fact that her eyes were glassy and not entirely focused confirmed that Dani wasn’t lucid.

“Yes Dani, I’m alive” she smiled through tears.

Dani cried softly “I thought I killed you”

“No, no Dani. I’m right here” she stroked her warm brow and kissed her hand.

As Dani cried, a cough started, and she gasped in pain. Grace immediately moved to prop her up in the bed, placing her body behind Dani’s.

Dani, unable to stop the reflex, rode out the coughing fit until she was too weak to struggle. Grace held her trembling body as firmly as she could until she felt Dani relax in her arms. Her breathing even more laboured after the exertion.

Evelyn stood up and walked into the kitchen to start brewing the herbal remedy which Grace had given her when she first arrived back. She discreetly wiped away her tears, her heart breaking for her friends.

Grace remained behind her lover. Feeling her rattled breaths, and her hot skin and prayed to every god she’d never prayed to before that Dani would breath easy again, that the fever would break soon.

Together, she and Evelyn managed to get another dose of the herbs and the antibiotics down Dani’s throat, and they began the waiting process all over again. Waiting and watching quietly as Dani fought the fever.

***

It was now the fifth day after Dani’s surgery, only the second day she had been on the herbal remedy, and while her surgery pain seemed to have subsided when she wasn’t coughing, the lung infection wasn’t getting any better, and her fever hadn’t broken.

Hadrell opened the door to the room and let Dr Guiria through. He pulled out his stethoscope and moved to the bed.

“I don’t think it’s working” Grace said plainly to the doctor.

“Give it time Grace” he looked her directly in the eyes. “I’ve seen patients come back from worse” he tried to reassure her.

“The fever is a good thing for now. As long as it doesn’t get any higher, and as long as it breaks soon. Her lungs are congested but her oxygen saturation is still within an acceptable range. It really is just a case of letting her body fight it” He knew it wasn’t any comfort, but it was the truth. They’d done everything they could medically do for Dani, and he was hesitant to put her on a ventilator when her oxygen saturation was still acceptable. So their only course of action it seemed for now, was to wait.

She nodded silently and went back to wiping away the beads of sweat on her lovers’ brow and chest.

Evelyn rushed into the room quickly and proposed and idea “I know they can’t land, but we could use the HAM radio to get the base to airdrop stronger antibiotics for her? Maybe even somehow airlift her out and take her back to the base”

Grace’s head hurt. “They’ll need to use long haul aircraft, so an airlift is probably off the cards, but an air-drop of new medication could work. She’s already two, maybe three days into the infection, by the time they could get stronger antibiotics to us, it’ll be day three or four” she mused. “It’s worth a try” she nodded and looked toward Dr Guiria who also nodded his approval for the plan.

Evelyn asked William to get the radio from the Yacht and bring it to the bungalow which he did in short order.

Grace radioed into base and had Dr Yeo on the other end within minutes. She relayed the events and a request for the antibiotics and Dr Yeo recommended a dual antibiotic containing amoxycillin and clavulanic acid which, when used in a combination formula, was were extremely effective against bacterial pneumonia.

Grace then spoke quickly to the flight teams. The earliest they could have a flight prepped for a long-haul return to Hawaii and back would be later that day which meant the medication should reach them sometime overnight. Grace didn’t want to risk a night-drop so she asked them to leave at the break of dawn and gave them the co-ordinates for the drop.

She signed off and sat back heavily in her seat. “Thank you Eve” she sighed “I honestly didn’t even think about the radio or an air-drop”

Evelyn squeezed her shoulder and went to prepare another dose of the herbal tea for Dani.

Dr Guiria excused himself and said he’d return in the morning.

Grace moved back into the bedroom and stood by the window, letting her mind wander as she watched the ocean roll into the shore and back out again. It was mesmerizing, and it somehow calmed her. They just had to wait out the night, she tried to convince herself.

Together she and Evelyn managed to coax the herbal remedy and more penicillin down Dani’s throat before she fell back into a fevered sleep during which her body trembled with chills, and she struggled not only against the congestion in her chest but an unseen enemy in her dreams. But Grace would manage to get her to settle eventually, and she’d sleep for a bit before another dream or another chill took hold, and Grace would be right back at her side to sooth her again.

This went on throughout the night and Grace’s stomach was in knots. She tried to let the sound of the waves sooth her in-between Dani’s semi-lucid moments. Tried to breath in the fresh salty air and tell herself it would only be a few more hours.

“Grace help me” Grace quickly turned from the window and took Dani’s hand, ready for whatever Dani might need, wiping the heated skin of her forehead with a cool cloth, wondering which nightmare memory she was playing out in her head. “It’s Diego! Pick him up” Dani struggled, trying to wrestle her hand free from Graces, but Grace held firm.

“I’m not leaving him!” Dani cried out.

“Shhh” Grace whispered softly. Running the cool damp cloth over her heated face and chest again.

Dani’s eyes opened but Grace knew she wasn’t seeing the room they were in, wasn’t seeing her. Her eyes were glazed over and full of anguish

“Diego! Hermano! Noooooo!” Dani cried out, tears spilling form her eyes. She started to cough again, her frail body shaking with each rattled cough.

Grace couldn’t watch her lover struggle, so she got into the bed again and wrapped herself around Dani from behind. Keeping her propped up and secure in her arms. She gently rocked the smaller body against hers, placing kisses on the crown of her head as she trembled through her nightmare.

“I want to go home” she croaked in a defeated tone “Take me home, I need to see my father. He doesn’t know about Diego” Grace could feel the grief in her voice and her heart broke for the younger Dani who had lost her father and her bother so violently on that one day so many years ago.

All she could do was try to soothe her delirious lover with gentle whispers and comforting strokes through her hair. Grace cried tears for Dani’s loss, for the pain her lover had endured then, and was enduring again while in her arms. She felt utterly helpless but tried to give Dani her own strength, trying to convey some security and calm. And eventually Dani’s body became heavy against hers and she fell into a deep sleep punctuated by shallow, laboured breathing.

Grace held her tightly, and as much as she tried to keep her eyes open, she had been awake for almost five straight days, and eventually the combined comfort of her lover’s body against hers, and her own exhaustion, forced her eyes shut, and she joined Dani in sleep.

***

The sun streaming in through the window eventually woke her and she initially started. She didn’t remember falling asleep, but looking at the clock, it had been a good four hours. She still had Dani wrapped up in her arms. She accessed her RD and pulled herself a bit more upright, her brows furrowing.

“Her fever broke about an hour ago” Evelyn said from the other side of the room. A wide smile on her face.

Grace looked at her RD again. Dani’s temperature was back down to 98.8 degrees, her respiratory rate was still elevated but her oxygen saturation was steady at 90%.

Grace looked back at Evelyn in shock.

“I know!” she smiled back. “William went out to collect the air-drop but it looks like we might not need it after all”

“Might not need what” Dani asked groggily, and Grace started. She stroked Dani’s hair back and leant down to kiss the side of her face.

“You’re awake” she said slightly awed. Trying to make sure this wasn’t just a fatigue induced dream.

“Mmmm” Dani nodded and curled her still elevated body, wrapping an arm around her partners torso and sleepily nuzzling into her chest. She coughed lightly but this time it didn’t become a painful coughing fit, and she soon drifted back into a deep sleep.

Grace stroked her hair and held her tightly. Tears of happiness pooling in her eyes. Evelyn wiped away her own tears of relief. The two women looked at each other and grinned at the woman in her arms who slept, oblivious to the panic they’d all been in over the last several days. Grace laughed first and Evelyn followed, and this is the visage Dr Guiria walk in on when he opened the bedroom door.

“Her fever broke” Grace beamed.

He smiled brightly and performed his routine check anyway. Nodding happily as he stood up.

“Her chest is still congested, and she’s still going to need at least a couple weeks of bed rest, but I think we’re out of the woods” He sighed and took a seat by the bed.

“Thank you” Grace said earnestly. She didn’t know exactly how, didn’t need to know how, but she knew that the herbal remedy he had given her had to have played a part in Dani’s recovery. There was just no other explanation for it.

The doctor nodded, happy that his patient looked like she would pull though. Happy to be able to deliver the news to Thalia and Hector who anxiously waited for him to return each day with news.

“She’ll need to keep taking it for another week or so. Until her lungs have properly cleared”

Grace nodded her understanding “I know it’s a long shot, but you wouldn’t happen to have s spirometer in amongst your medical supplies?” She asked hopefully.

He chuckled “You know what. I think we probably do. We stockpiled almost all the medical supplies we could get our hands after things started to settle. We took anything we could find from every medical clinic, physical therapy or rehab centre we could find. Spirometers aren’t something I’ve had to use very often so I’ll try to find one” 

Grace smiled and thanked him. Knowing that the device would help Dani’s lungs become stronger more quickly, reducing her recovery time, but also reducing the risk of permanent scarring in her lungs which could make her susceptible to future lung infections.

William trotted into the bungalow carrying a large black case triumphantly. A wide smile on his face as he placed it onto the kitchen table and cracked it open.

Evelyn quickly went to him and wrapped her arms around him. Loving him for the effort he’d put into collecting the airdrop, and his obvious pride at having returned successfully.

William sensed a change in the room as Evelyn wrapped her arms around him.

“Everything alright love” he said quickly and returned the embrace.

Evelyn nodded against his chest.

He craned his neck and looked into the bedroom, smiling as his RD brought up Dani’s stats. He blew out a relieved breath and laughed.

“let me guess. Her fever broke the minute I left” he said with more than a hint of humour in his voice and tossed the medication back into the case

Evelyn laughed and drew his head down for a kiss which he more than happily returned.

****

The following day Dani spent drifting in and out of sleep. Her lungs were still congested, but the cough was reducing, and the pain from her surgical wound was manageable. She was aware of the constant presence of her partner and knew that every time she opened her eyes, Grace would be right there.

She could see the happiness and relief in Graces eyes, but she could also see the strain and fatigue the last week had put on her. She hadn’t been looking after herself, and as sick as Dani was, she felt an innate needed to make sure Grace was okay too.

She took in her tall lover standing by the window and called her over.

“Come” she said and pulled the sheets back on the empty side of the bed.

Grace shook her head and smiled “Dani, it’s okay”

“Come” she said more firmly.

Grace sighed and walked over to the bed. She climbed in and propped herself on her side on one elbow.

“You haven’t been sleeping” Dani said softly and stroked her cheek. Running her thumb over the dark circles under her tired blue eyes.

Grace shrugged and kissed Dani’s hand. “I had more important things to do” she replied easily.

Dani smiled at her attentive partner. She rolled away from Grace and pulled Graces arm around her, forcing her close. “Sleep” she said

Grace lowered herself onto the pillow and sighed deeply. It was so good to feel Dani’s cool body against her. Her still somewhat shallow breaths coming easier. She nuzzled into the back of her neck and kissed the soft skin, pulling her in gently, careful not to put pressure on her stomach wound.

Dani sighed happily as she felt Grace’s body become heavy against hers, she placed a soft kiss in the hand in hers and held it close to her chest as she drifted off to sleep again.

This is how Evelyn found them several hours later, and as loathed as she was to wake them, it was time for Dani’s medication. She went to prepare the tea and took a moment to look back on Dani and Graces evolution over the years.

Recalling with a laugh how a much younger Grace had walked in on her and Dani in bed together. How the attraction between Dani and Grace had been obvious to everyone around them but how it had taken years and an almost fatal injury for Dani to admit her feelings. And from there, they just became stronger together. More connected and in sync with each other. She’d heard of the phrase ‘Two hearts, one soul’ before, but it wasn’t until now that she could see the living example of it in her friends. If ever there were soulmates, it was them. She sighed happily and went into the bedroom.

As quietly as she could she woke Dani. As Dani sat up, Grace stirred, but Dani softly stroked her face and told her to go back to sleep.

“Thank you” Dani whispered to her friend and took the awful tasting tea and the pills form her friend.

“It’s good to see her sleeping” Evelyn nodded toward Grace who had rolled onto her back, her hair tousled, and her face relaxed. It made Evelyn smile to see her relaxed and resting finally.

Dani nodded. “I assume she hasn’t been sleeping much since the accident?”

Evelyn shook her head. “To be honest, I haven’t seen her sleep at all since she brought you back”

Dani looked down at her peaceful lover and smiled though tears. Knowing the toll the last week would have taken. But seeing her completely relaxed now made her heart feel a little lighter.

Seeing the fatigue start to pull on Dani again, Evelyn stood and kissed Dani on her cheek. “You should get more sleep too oui?”

Dani nodded and curled into her lovers’ side. Grace stirring again to wrap an arm around her as Dani lay her head on Grace’s shoulder and immediately drifted off to sleep.

Evelyn smiled again at the picture they made. She quietly left the bungalow and set an alarm on her watch for six hours-time when she’d return for Dani’s next round of medication.

***

Grace felt a thousand times better when she next woke up several hours later. Dani was still asleep against her, her temperature was steady, and her breathing was even but still a little rapid and shallow. Grace lay there planning out the next few weeks. How to ensure Dani’s lung strength returned, and that she recovered from her abdominal injury as smoothly as possible. She knew that movement was key, and she also knew that it might be a challenge to get her very fatigued partner up and about so quickly, but they just needed to do it in small steps, building on it each day. She decided that they’d start tomorrow, giving Dani, and herself this one day to rest quietly before the hard work started.

She heard Evelyn enter and start preparing the tea so she gently extracted herself from underneath her lover and went to the kitchen.

“Thank you for this Eve” She said, stretching her sore body.

“Of Course” Evelyn smiled. “It was good to finally see you get some sleep too Grace” she said with a quirk of her brow.

Grace smiled guiltily. She quickly changed the subject to Dani’s rehab over the coming weeks.

“looks like our island vacation is getting extended yes?” Evelyn smiled again and Grace returned it and nodded. “I’ll ask William to inform the Committee of Dani’s progress and of our delayed trip home”

Grace took the tea and the medication from Evelyn, she managed to coax Dani awake long enough to take it, she helped her to the bathroom, and had her tucked back in bed asleep within ten minutes.

Grace returned to the kitchen where Eve set down a hot cup of tea and some food for them both.

“We also need to try to get her to start eating again” Grace said, noticing how loose Dani’s sweatpants had become over the last week.

“She will if you will” Evelyn quipped. Knowing that Grace had barely been keeping up her own calorie requirements.

“touché” Grace smiled and sat back taking some of the food in front of her.

***

“Dani, it’s just to the sun-lounge outside okay” Grace encouraged her hesitant partner.

Dani nodded and clenched her jaw as she stood up. A wave of vertigo washed over her, but Grace was right by her side to steady her. By the time they got to the kitchen she was breathing heavy, and by the time she’d made it out the front door she’d broken out in a sweat. Her abdomen pulled uncomfortably, and her body felt like it had weights attached to it. But she saw the lounge just a few metres away and grasped Grace’s hand tightly, making the last few steps before sitting down heavily.

Grace beamed and kissed her lover excitedly. She threw a light blanket over Dani and handed her a glass of water. She sat on the adjoining sun-lounge and waited for Dani to finish the water before helping her back into the relined lounge.

“How’s the pain?” She asked

“Okay” Dani said quickly.

Grace smiled and tried again “on a scale of 1 to 10?”

Dani shifted in the lounge and sighed “six and a half” she quirked a brow

Grace squeezed Dani’s hand. She reached into her bag and pulled out the spirometer that Dr Guiria had found for her.

“So, this is going to help us measure your lung strength”

Dani groaned. The sun felt wonderful on her skin and she just wanted to sleep. The walk to the lounge had sapped what little energy she had. But when she looked at Grace and saw the firm, serious expression, she nodded compliantly.

“Take the tube, and inhale smoothly” You’re aim eventually will be to raise all three balls, but we’re not aiming for that today. I just want to see where you’re at”

Dani nodded and took the device. She put the tube in her mouth and inhaled, she managed to lift one ball about an inch before she started to cough.

“It’s okay” Grace assured her and reached for the spirometer.

Dani shook her head quickly and held onto it. Once the cough passed, she tried again. This time managing to lift the first ball higher and keep it there for a second or two before she coughed again.

Grace smiled at her determination and gently took the device and helped settle Dani back into the lounge where she lay back and within a few minutes was asleep.

Grace stroked the hair back from Dani’s face and then went to prepare some food for them both while Dani rested.

The next couple weeks went by in much the same fashion. Dani’s wound was healing well, and she was becoming more and more mobile. She was awake for longer through the days and eating incrementally more each day. It seemed her determination equalled that of her partners and together, they made a pretty perfect team.

On the second week after Dani’s fever broke, three weeks after her accident, Grace asked Dani if she’d like to try going for a walk on the beach, and Dani, sick of doing laps of the grounds of the old resort eagerly agreed.

She still used the spirometer several times a day to try and push her lungs, and her abdomen was feeling less and less sore each day. So she was eager for another way to increase her stamina and since Grace had flatly refused all of her romantic advances so far, she decided that a walk along the beach might be a way to work some romance into her rehab.

She took Graces hand in hers and they headed out to soft sand. Dani made it about one hundred meters before the exertion finally got to her and she sat down heavily.

“It’s okay Dani” Grace said comfortingly and wrapped her arm around her. “Walking on sand is completely different to walking on grass or pavement” she looked back at the grass and trees behind them and quickly stood up, walking over to the tree closest to them she etched a small ‘x’ into the bark with her pocketknife and went back to her seated lover.

“Tomorrow, our goal will be to get past that tree okay”

Dani’s heart swelled and she pulled Grace into a kiss “Thank you for being so attentive” She pushed her lover back and lay on top of her, never breaking the kiss. Grace tried to push her away softly, but Dani grabbed her wrists and pulled them above her head.

“Dani” Grace said in a warning tone, but Dani silenced her with another kiss. She reached between them and slid her fingers underneath Grace’s waistband. Grace’s breathing hitched and she dropped her head back to the ground as Dani’s fingers gently stroked her. Dani smiled internally knowing she’d won this small battle. She let go of Grace’s wrists, squeezing them gently to tell her to keep them put, and she let her other hand trail down, underneath Graces tight top and back up to her firm breast and tight nipple.

“Dani” Grace weakly protested, but again Dani grinned as she felt Grace’s hip begin to twitch and wetness build beneath her quick fingers. Dani moved her kisses to Grace’s long neck and found the tender spot just above her collarbone and Grace let out a moan as Dani latched onto it, Graces legs opened unconsciously so Dani slid three finger smoothly inside her lovers wet centre and Grace arched into them. Dani squeezed the nipple between her fingers firmly and Grace let out another moan which made her do it again.

She felt Graces stomach tighten and she stroked her fingers harder, and as the first flutter of her orgasm started, Dani brushed over Graces clit roughly with her thumb and swallowed Grace’s groan of release with deep kiss. Dani kept her fingers buried inside her lover for long minutes as her after shocks gently shook though her and as Grace’s breathing slowed, she reached up towards Graces extended arms and pulled on them. Grace immediately brought them back down and wrapped them firmly around Dani, drawing her into a tender kiss.

Dani smiled lovingly at her sated lover and said cheekily “Just because my body might not be ready, doesn’t mean we have to ignore yours” Grace laughed and sat up, bringing Dani’s legs around her. They sat together like that for ages, kissing, with the sound of the ocean as their backdrop.

The next day, they made it twice the distance and came to a small rockpool before Dani needed to rest.

Grace marked a nearby rock and congratulated her on doubling the distance in once day. This time Dani gave Grace twice the number of orgasms as a thank you.

“Dani!” Grace panted as she slowly came back to her body. She pulled her lover close and closed her eyes as another jolt ran through her.

“Si mi amor” Dani said sweetly as she slowly withdrew her fingers and another aftershock ran through her lovers’ tall body and she groaned through it.

Dani sat back and delighted at the absolute mess Grace was in. Her cheeks flushed, sweat glistening on her exposed skin, her hair splayed out in every direction, and her blue eyes, impossibly bluer.

Dani was turned on beyond anything Grace could do or say to the contrary and she started rocking against Grace’s pubic bone.

Grace held her hips firmly and tried to stop her. Dani pulled her hands off her and leant forward, pushed them up and back against the sand.

“You can watch” she said quietly and kissed her loves flushed cheeks “Or you can help” she quirked a brow. “Those are your choices”

Grace closed her eyes and clenched her jaw, loving the way Dani felt on top of her, but worried about her exerting herself. 

Her eyes opened and Dani had to stop and swallow for a second, and that second is all Grace needed to scoop Dani up and swap their positions. Laying her gently back on the sand and removing her pants in one quick motion. Grace braced herself above her lover and kissed her deeply, trailing her kisses down her smooth body until she got to the new scar on her abdomen. She kissed it softly, feeling Dani’s muscles flutter underneath her lips. She continued placing gentle kisses along her partners body until she’d settled herself between Dani’s bent legs. She dipped her head and they both moaned at the contact her mouth made with Dani’s soft lips. Grace stroked her tongue through the soft folds gently and repeatedly until Dani’s breath became a little quicker. She reached up with both hands and cupped Dani’s breasts, rolling her nipples between her fingers.

“Grace” Dani breathed as she the tension begin to build low in her belly.

Grace softly sucked Dani’s clit into her mouth and circled it with her tongue. drawing Dani slowly and gently closer to her orgasm.

Dani relaxed into the building sensation, placing one hand over Grace’s on her breast, and another gently on the back of Graces head. Knowing her lover was trying to send her over the edge softly, she felt the knot in her stomach build and rather than try to push harder and faster, she closed her eyes and controlled her breathing, letting Grace’s soft mouth and expert fingers bring her closer. Within moments she felt the coil of tension let go and arched into her lovers’ mouth as her orgasm washed over her in gentle waves.

Grace kissed the inside of Dani’s quivering legs and drew herself back up her lover’s body. She buried her face in Dani’s neck and finding her favourite soft pulse point, kissed it softly until she felt Dani’s breathing even and her pulse slow.

Dani wrapped her fingers through Graces hair and drew her head back. Grace saw the love and the desire clear in Dani’s eyes and dipped her head to capture Dani’s lips. Dani held her close, revelling in the feeling of Graces body on top of hers after so long. She tried to get Grace to let more of her weight go but Grace’s strong arms and shoulders wouldn’t budge, so Dani took what she could get and simply enjoyed the light contact for long minutes until the chill in the air send a quick shiver down her body.

Grace felt it and immediately grabbed their clothes. Dusting them off as much as she could she helped her lover dress before putting her own on.

“I feel like I have sand in places sand should never be” Dani smirked and Grace laughed.

“I’ll remember to bring a blanket next time” Grace took Dani’s hand and kissed it and they slowly made their way back to the resort bungalows.

They watched the sunset as they made their way back and both women filed away the mental image, safely storing away the memory of their afternoon.

The return trip to the bungalows was much slower and Dani was visibly sore and fatigued when they got back. Grace led them straight to the shower where they quickly washed each other down, towelled off, and she tucked Dani into bed handing her a dose of the pain medication and a glass of water.

“I’ll wake you when dinner’s ready okay” she said as she took the glass back.

Dani nodded and gently pulled on Graces shirt, bringing her down for another kiss.

“Today was pretty perfect mi mor” she smiled “Thank you”

Grace stroked her cheek lovingly and kissed her again before standing up. Dani’s eyes fluttered closed before she’d closed the bedroom door.

From that day, Dani progressed in leaps and bounds, and their daily walk along the beach became a relaxed routine rather than part of Dani’s rehab and they took pleasure in their quiet time together each afternoon.

As soon as Dani’s healing body allowed her, she began to make trips into town to discuss the formalities of the trade arrangement. Grace accompanied her each time, but as soon as they left the bungalows, she became Captain Harper, Dani’s military escort, instead of Grace, Dani’s lover and partner. Their days were long and tiring, and Grace, ever vigilant, made sure to excuse themselves as soon as Dani started showing signs of fatigue, but as each day passed, Dani’s stamina increased and soon they were returning home well after the sunset, and although Grace missed their daily walks, she was proud of Dani and her ability to work through the intricacies of the trade arrangement, proud of her determination and drive to get back to 100%.

After a couple weeks of negotiating, exploring the township, and meeting most of the citizens of Perseverance, the formal work was over, and the team began to make plans for their return journey back to the Base.

The sun and the sea had rejuvenated Dani in a way she didn’t realise she needed, and she was suddenly struck with a sadness at the thought of leaving their little piece of paradise behind.

“Let us take you to one of my favourite places on the island” Hector said one afternoon before they left the town. He sensed that their time together was coming to a close and he wanted his new friends to have a few days away from the drudgery of the negotiations to really enjoy the island. Dani quickly agreed and Hector said that he’d be come by the bungalows to pick them up just before lunch the next day.

Unfortunately, Evelyn, and therefore Hadrell, were in the final stages of repairing an important piece of the hydroelectric set-up so they had to decline the invitation but promised to be at the next one.

Dani and Grace returned to their bungalow after sharing a meal with Thalia and a few of the elders. Grace looked at her watch and realised it was still relatively early, and a plan started to form in her head.

She asked Dani to pour them a drink and she started to draw a bath and lit a few candles she’d procured from town. Dani returned to the bath with two glasses on wine and took in the candles and her now naked lover in the filling tub and she had to swallow hard.

“Come” Grace said and held out her hand.

Dani quickly stripped her top and pants off and stepped easily into the tub, handing Grace a glass. Dani took a long gulp from hers and Grace grinned, knowing that Dani knew she had something planned.

Grace downed a sip from her glass and placed it aside. She pulled her lovers glass from her hands helped her step into her warm embrace. Grace trailed her hands along Dani’s strong, smooth back, enjoying the feel of her body against hers.

“So” she said lovingly “I wanted to wish you a happy birthday” she whispered into Dani hair “but I’ve been a little caught up and haven’t managed to get you anything” she stroked Dani’s back softly and Dani sunk into the embrace “so I thought I could maybe make love to you until you tell me to stop” she sucked lightly on Dani’s neck.

Dani took a quick breath and let it out slowly. Feeling herself get wet just at the though.

She’d actually lost track of the days, but Grace was right. They’d been away from the mainland for close to 6 weeks now, it was the 12th of July and she was another year older. She smiled up at her partner and drew her head down for a kiss but Grace gently pushed Dani down into the tub so that she was reclining against the edge. Grace got on her knees between Dani’s legs and leant forward, bracing her hands on either side of the large tub and kissed her lover deeply. She ran her hand along Dani’s jaw, down her neck, along her chest and abdomen. She paused when she got to the thatch of soft curls.

Dani was already breathing hard and Grace smiled around their kiss. She reached across to the vanity and pulled open a drawer.

Grace pushed a button and Dani heard the electric hum and her nostrils immediately flared. Knowing exactly which toy Grace had snuck in with her.

“So, I was playing with it alone one day a while back and, turns out it’s waterproof” Grace said with a quirk in her brow. Dani smiled and bit her lip. Her partners eternal curiosity always made her heart swell, and the image in her head of Grace playing with the toy, alone, made her breath hitch.

Grace watched Dani’s arousal grow and drew the toy between Dani’s open legs. Watching her eyes flutter closed and her head fall back at it found its mark, gently pulling on her clit as it simultaneously sent vibrations through it.

“uughh” Dani murmured and raised her hips, she brought her arms up around Grace’s back and held her as the toy slowly brought her to the edge.

Grace let the toy work on her lovers clit and she captured Dani’s mouth in a deep kiss which lasted long minutes, until Dani arched back into the gentle orgasm the toy gave her.

Grace managed to position herself in the large tub so that she was straddling Dani’s hips. She latched onto Dani’s strong neck, sucking gently on the tender pulse point she loved, and slowly lowered herself so that her own clit came into contact with the still vibrating toy. She moaned at the contact and pushed a little more firmly into the toy.

They both groaned at the pressure and Dani pulled Graces head up and captured her lips.

The vibrator was sending Dani close to the edge quicker than she expected and she wanted to be connected to her lover as much as possible when it happened. She grasped Grace’s breasts, squeezing them as her body started to tremble.

“Grace” Dani panted “I’m coming” she breathed out as her body trembled harder. She gasped and pulled Grace closer to her as hot electric jolts coursed through her body. Grace tipped over with her and she moaned her release into her lovers’ mouth.

Grace quickly pulled the toy away and continued to softly rock against her lovers’ pelvis, enjoying the warm water, the gentle aftershocks and Dani’s still trembling body beneath hers.

As Dani settled Grace turning their bodies around so Dani was against her chest, she reached for their glasses of wine, she handed Dani hers, and leant back against the wall of the tub. Graces legs came up to brace Dani’s body between them and Dani traces soft patterns across the firm muscles of her long thighs.

Grace quickly finished her glass and placed it on the ledge of the tub, freeing her hands to wrap around her lover, pulling her in close and pulling the hair back from her neck so she could kiss it.

She quietly took Dani’s now empty glass from her and placed it back on the ledge before wrapping one arm tightly across Dani’s chest, and slowly reached her other down her partners firm body until her fingers slid through her warm wet folds.

Dani’s head pressed ack into Grace’s chest as Graces slipped her fingers inside her lover. Grace closed her eyes at the delicious slick sensation around her fingers, and the quick tremble in Dani’s legs. She gently sucked and nipped along Dani’s shoulders and neck as she worked her fingers inside her lover. Dani reached a hand up and Grasped the back of Graces neck as an anchor as her body began to tremble again.

Grace worked her fingers quickly and felt Dani’s stomach tighten. She kissed Dani behind her ear and whispered, “come for me” and Dani groaned as her body uncoiled and let go.

The room was filled with the sound of their breathing, and the almost hypnotic flicker of the candlelight. As the last of the aftershocks washed through Dani’s body she sighed in absolute contentment, wrapped up completely by her lover.

She squeezed Graces arms more tightly around her and closed her eyes. Letting herself feel every inch of Grace’s body against hers. She loved this woman more than she believed she could ever love anybody, and the feeling slightly overwhelmed her, so she kept her eyes closed and tried to just let the feeling wash through her.

Grace felt Dani’s mood shift and kissed her neck again. Keeping her lips in contact with her soft skin, breathing in her scent, as she silently let her know she was here.

Dani let out a breath and turned around to face her beautiful partner.

“I don’t think you know just how much I adore you Grace” she said gently and cupped her lovers face as she’d done hundreds of times before, staring into her crystal eyes which never failed to captivate her.

Grace smiled softly and place her hand over Dani’s. With her other she Drew Dani’s head down and kissed her, showing her that she did in fact know how much Dani adored her.

Dani moaned into the kiss and pulled back, desire flashing in her eyes again.

“Come” she said and stood up … pulling Grace along with her to the bedroom.

Grace smiled and stopped Dani as they entered the room. She pulled her body back against hers and kissed Dani in a way that told her she was in charge for the night. Dani soon relaxed into the change as Grace picked her up and kissed her breathless.

Grace took Dani to the bed and lay her down on it. She reached into her travel bag and pulled out another toy which made Dani’s knees go weak. It was the double ended dildo with the harness.

“I want to fuck you Dani” Grace said in a serious tone and Dani couldn’t help but respond to it. Dani lay herself back on the bed, and in an attempt to try and take some control back, she spread her legs wide open and began stroking herself gently while she waited for her tall lover to begin.

Grace felt all her senses overload. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from what Dani was doing to herself, but at the same time, she tried to concentrate on strapping the toy to her body. 

She clenched her jaw and tried to concentrate on the harness. She stepped into it quickly but had to slowly insert her end inside of her and as she did her eyes fluttered closed as she felt the fullness of it, the weight of it.

Dani’s hands stilled as she watched Grace insert the toy inside of her, as she watched her eyes close in pleasure. She bit her lip and had to stop herself from reaching out to touch her lover.

Grace tightened the harness straps around her hips and took a few calming breaths. She could feel her centre clamping down on the dildo inside of her and she tried to breath through it.

“Grace” Dani’s soft voice called to her and she opened her eyes and met Dani’s. Knowing the desire in Dani’s dark eyes matched her own. She climbed onto the bed and hungrily took Dani’s lips. She waited until Dani started rocking her hips and pulled away. She easily turned Dani over and pulled her up onto her hands and knees. Grace groaned at the sight of her lover like this and guided Dani closer to the headboard so she could find purchase if she wanted it.

She draped her long body over Dani’s and grabbed a handful of her hair, biting down gently into the soft skin of her exposed neck. Dani pushed back into Grace and moaned her approval. 

Grace held the free end of the dildo and guided it along Dani’s wet folds with a few soft slow thrusts, and on the fourth she angled it higher and entered Dani fully in one long forward thrust. Dani yelled in pleasure and Grace pulled back harder on her hair, pulling herself out of her lover and thrusting firmly back in. Grace gasped as the dildo inside of her pulled out slightly and pushed deeper inside with each stroke she made.

She let go of Dani’s hair and grabbed her hips. Guiding her back onto the shaft harshly. The sounds Dani was making were tipping Grace closer to the edge and she rammed the dildo harder inside her lover. She could feel Dani begin to tremble and Grace let her body go, letting her orgasm surge through her as she continued to pump inside Dani until Dani groaned and arched back as her own orgasm took hold.

Grace brought Dani’s sweaty body up against hers and held her firmly as she continued to rock her hips, her inner walls still contracting against the shaft inside of her. Dani moaned incoherently but leant back into Grace’s body, letting her take control. Grace placed one hand over Dani’s breast and massaged it roughly. The other she placed over Dani’s firm stomach and felt it ripple as she rode out the aftershocks of her orgasm. But Grace didn’t let her come down, she picked up the pace of her hips again and Dani’s body became boneless as the shaft continued to slide in and out of her quickly and another orgasm wash through her trembling body.

Dani groaned through her release, but Grace still didn’t stop. She bent Dani back over and placed her hands on the headboard. Once she was sure Dani had purchase, she pushed harder into her smaller body, feeling the end inside of her mirror each stroke until she felt her stomach begin to uncurl and as it did she reached around Dani’s trembling body and stroked her clit quickly until Dani’s body convulsed, she yelled, and her arms let go, dropping the top half of her body to the mattress as she incoherently moaned and rocked through the sharper, more intense orgasm.

Grace fell forward and braced herself against the headboard as waves of pleasure rolled though her body each time her inner walls clenched the shaft inside of her. She braced herself over her lover, kissing Dani’s sweat covered back, beads of sweat rolling down her own. Grace caught her breath and slowly pulled the toy from Dani’s tight centre, eliciting a moan from her still breathless lover. She unclipped the harness and shuddered as she let the shaft inside her slip out.

As Grace knelt on the bed and watched Dani try to recover, the soft pleasure filled sounds Dani was making, began to make Grace’s stomach curl again. She grasped Dani’s ass harshly and turned her onto her back. She remained, kneeling back on the mattress and pulled Dani’s body up against hers, tipping her so that her knees draped over her broad shoulders and her back rested against her strong thighs.

“Grace” Dani panted, still riding through the aftershocks, and disoriented by the position Grace had easily pulled her into.

“Have you had enough?” Grace crooned and wrapped her arms along Dani’s strong thighs, holding her firmly in place.

Dani let out a long breath and shook her head so Grace dipped her head and ran her tongue through Dani’s soft wet folds and the two women moaned in unison.

Dani felt a little out of control. Her body practically suspended against Grace with nothing to grasp onto, but as Grace’s mouth closed over her clit, her body went almost completely boneless and Dani let her arms drape onto the mattress above her head. She arched into Grace’s mouth and sighed in pleasure.

Grace felt Dani’s thighs tighten around her and she pulled harder on the small bundle of nerves in her mouth. Dani moaned incoherently and arched her back, trying to get more pressure.

Grace smiled into her lovers’ centre, knowing Dani’s physical tells, knowing she was close but needed just a little more.

She pulled her mouth away and Dani moaned at the loss of sensation.

“Grace” she panted “Please” her body writhed against Grace’s desperate for the release that had been so close moments before “Let me come”

Grace placed soft kisses on the inside of Dani’s trembling thighs.

“I said I was going to fuck you Dani” Grace said softly yet firmly.

“Grace” Dani breathed, her whole body taught, on the precipice.

“That also means that I decided when you come” she nipped at the soft skin of Dani’s thigh and her smaller lover began to tremble harder.

Grace ran her tongue softly through Dani’s folds avoiding her clit.

Dani arched hard and pushed her head back.

“Not yet” Grace whispered, and circled Dani’s clit softly.

Dani moaned and her taught body started to tremble harder.

“Not yet” Grace whispered again and kissed the inside of Dani’s other thigh.

“Grace” Dani panted, her body shaking almost uncontrollably as her lover brought her closer and kept her there.

Grace drew her tongue softly through Dani’s folds again “Come for me” she whispered and sucked Dani’s clit into her mouth, stroking it roughly with her tongue.

Dani jerked and yelled as her body finally tipped and powerful surges swept through her. She couldn’t control any part of her body anymore, so she let her lover hold her while she shook and gasped through the waves of pleasure.

Grace lay her back down on the bed as she continued to writhe. She lay herself down next to her lover and pulled Dani against her chest and wrapped herself around her trembling body, anchoring her as she slowly came back to herself.

Grace kissed her neck and shoulders softly for long minutes, and Dani slowly caught her breath, as her body gradually began to relax.

“Fuck” Dani panted once the last aftershock subsided.

Grace smiled and laughed softly at Dani’s expletive “It _is_ what I said I was going to do” she said proudly.

Dani turned in her lovers embrace and kissed her squarely “Si” She licked at the sweat dripping down Grace’s neck and kissed her again “It is” She smiled and flopped back onto the mattress. Bringing her hand to her stomach.

Grace propped herself up “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” she asked in a slightly worried voice, placing her hand over Dani’s.

Dani had her eyes closed and a smile on her face. She shook her head. “No my love, you didn’t hurt me” she opened her eyes and squeezed Grace’s hand. “I’m not used to feeling so out of my body” she smiled again. “I was just enjoying the feeling”

Grace smiled at her lover and kissed her tenderly before laying herself flat on the mattress, trying to settle her own body. “That” she breathed “was incredible”

“That was fucking incredible” Dani grinned, and Grace laughed “I like when you take control like that”

“I like it too” she smiled and pulled herself back onto her side and wrapped an arm around Dani’s waist. Dani turned herself over and pulled Grace in tightly behind her. She brought Graces hand up and kissed it.

“I love you Grace” she said into the darkness.

“I love you too Dani” Grace answered back and kissed her neck “Happy birthday” she smiled as she felt more than saw Dani’s happy smile in return.

It took less than a minute for Dani’s body to become heavy with sleep and Grace reached around them and pulled up the sheet. Kissing her lovers’ soft neck again she laid her head on the pillow and soon followed.

***


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not a huge amount of plot progression in this chapter, but that's on purpose.  
> Lots of angst, some medical stuff, and lots of sex.  
> I wanted to use this chapter to explore in more details, Dani's ever-present fear of Grace being injured or hurt because of her, something she's had in the back of her mind ever since the events of Dark Fate ... 20+ years is a LONG time to carry the same fear, and I wanted to explore where Dani might go with that fear if it became a reality again, but during 'peace-time'.  
> This chapter is all about planting seeds and manoeuvring characters for the next chapter!

Dani woke early as she usually did but as soon as she tried to move her body she regretted it.

Grace heard the unhappy groan and chuckled sleepily.

“Shut up” Dani groaned again as every muscle in her body protested.

Grace nuzzled into her neck “I got the distinct impression that you enjoyed last night” she cupped one of Dani’s breasts and her nipple immediately stood to attention.

“Graaaaaace” Dani warned. But felt the distinct pull of arousal despite her body’s current state.

Grace sat up, and with a quick motion, scooped Dani up and carried her into the shower. She turned the hot water on as high as was comfortable and lathered the soap in her hands.

She spent the next twenty minutes or so reducing Dani into a soft, compliant, relaxed mess. Massaging away her sore muscles under the hot water with her practiced and patient hands.

Dani returned the favour, although she spent more time appreciating Graces body than actually massaging any of her tight muscles. Grace grinned inwardly and obliged her weary partner.

She turned the water off, towelled Dani dry, handed her a large glass of water and guided her back to the bed as she quickly drank it down.

Grace fluffed the covers and held them open, and Dani looked at her questioningly.

“Hector won’t be here until lunch time and I think we could both do with more sleep than we could with breakfast” she said simply.

Dani moaned happily and flopped back into bed, pulling Grace down with her.

Grace laughed at her sleepy, playful display. She loved that she was probably the only person in the known world who ever got to see this side of the fierce Commander. She assumed her usual position and Dani tucked herself in, sighing in contentment.

“Better?” she asked and pulled Dani in close.

“So much better” Dani sighed and was asleep again in minutes.

Grace didn’t actually need to sleep anymore, but the sound of the waves and of her partners even breathing soon made her close her eyes and take advantage of the rare sleep in. 

A few hours later, when Grace’s alarm went off Dani bounced out of bed as much as her still sore body would let her, she scampered to her bag, plucked out a package and launched herself at Grace, who despite still being half asleep, managed to catch Dani and wrap her up. 

Dani held out the package to Grace with a smile. “I brought something back from the town that I’d love to see you in today” she paused “Only if you’re comfortable in it of course” Dani asked sweetly, and Grace knew that she’d wear whatever it was regardless.

She took the package and went onto the bathroom to change, emerging fully clothed in her shorts and t-shirt about ten minutes later with a shy look on her face.

“What?” Dani chuckled.

Grace scratched her head and smiled back “It took me a minute to figure out how to put it on”

Dani’s grin widened. Of course Grace probably wouldn’t have worn swimwear like this when she was a young girl before judgement Day. Seattle wasn’t exactly California. And after Judgement Day. Well, swimming was a task, not a leisure activity.

She reached up and cupped her lovers face and pulled her into a kiss. Her heart melting at how Grace always tried to accommodate her, even if it made her a little uncomfortable to start with.

“We can pack your tank just in case you don’t like it okay?” She said reassuringly.

Grace nodded and pulled Dani in closer. She actually didn’t mind how it felt, she’d just never worn anything like it before so it would take a moment for her body to become accustom to the feel of the clingy, silky material.

Dani went to change into the swimwear she’d chosen for herself, and not long after, Hector, Serena and Miles drove up to the bungalows and Dani and Grace jumped into their jeep to follow them.

As they drove further and higher, the women marvelled at the natural beauty all around them. Grace had never really seen dense tropical forests like it, and the shoreline below seemed never-ending, crystal blue, and so inviting. After perhaps forty-five minutes, they turned inland and were surrounded by dense over growth and both Dani and Grace breathed the crisp earthy air in, Dani voicing her surprise at how such a simple thing could elicit an immediate sense of peace and relaxation.

Hector eventually pulled his car up and Dani parked behind him. She could hear the rush of a waterfall, and her heart sped up.

Hector grabbed two blankets and the picnic basket and led them along a narrow trail for about five minutes until both Dani and Grace stood dumbfounded by the scene which opened up in front of them.

It was a large waterhole, open and sunny and warm, there was a sandy bank that led into the shallow end, and a small but steady waterfall flowing into the deeper end a little further away.

“The shallows are much warmer, but on a hot day like today, the cool water at the deep end will be refreshing and comfortable” Hector smiled and opened out the blankets.

Miles was immediately running into the water and his two parents didn’t seem overly concerned for his safety. They kept an eye over him but didn’t hover. Dani assumed that much of life here in the island was like this. Children swam, fished, and farmed carefree from an early age. They didn’t have decades of hiding in shadows behind them, never having to learn evacuation drills, or evasion measures, never having to listen and learn what sounds meant an incoming attack and what sounds meant approaching help. She watched Miles play for a moment and smiled at the rightness of it.

Hector soon pulled off his shirt and joined his son in the water. Dani took a seat on the blanket by Serena and helped unpack the picnic basket. She looked up at her tall lover and could tell Grace was scanning the rock wall and looking into the rockpool to assess its depth, excitement clear in her eyes. Dani smiled, knowing exactly what Grace wanted to do.

Grace quickly finished her assessment and looked down at Dani eagerly, holding out her hand.

“You go” Dani smiled happily “I’d like to just soak up some sun for a moment with Serena”

Grace nodded and her smile doubled. Totally distracted by her excitement she quickly pulled off her light t-shirt and stripped off her shorts within seconds and was moving toward the edge of the rock wall before Dani could close her mouth.

The plain black halter neck bikini she had brought Grace fit her perfectly, hugging her like a second skin, and Dani couldn’t take her eyes off her.

For as long as she could remember, she always loved seeing Grace in black, whether it was her black combat wear or her casual black tank and jeans, but this, this was definitely now her new favourite.

Serena cleared her throat and Dani snapped back to herself, blushing slightly. The darker woman laughed out loud at Dani’s expression and leant forward.

“She is breathtaking” Serena said in genuine appreciation for the tall blonde’s beauty and obvious physicality.

Dani nodded and tried to moisten her suddenly very dry mouth as she watched her strong, capable, and oh so gorgeous lover scale the rock wall until she was about three quarters of the way up. Dani raked her eyes over the large expanses of well-muscled body available for her to appreciate, and she was definitely appreciating it. The way Grace’s strong back and shoulders flexed as she pulled herself up, the way her long legs pushed off against the footholds. The way her stomach flexed every time she pulled herself higher. The almost negligent confidence she had in her body’s ability to do exactly what she wanted it to was obvious.

She was captivating to watch, and all of a sudden Dani wanted Grace closer so she could appreciate her properly.

As if reading her thoughts, Grace dived fluidly off the ledge she’d been standing on and entered the water with a light splash.

“wow” Serena said in appreciation.

“Yeah” Dani said quietly and stood, removing her own clothes, and headed towards the shallow end to go meet her partner.

Grace surfaced with a huge smile on her face and almost choked when she saw Dani, in her own new bikini, walking toward her, with a look in her eyes that generally meant only one thing. Dani had chosen a pale-yellow bikini which contrasted beautifully with her darker skin and made her glow as the sun reflected off the water back up at her.

Grace swallowed hard against the immediate pull of arousal she felt while watching her lovers dark, lithe body enter the water and dive under the water toward her.

Dani surfaced right in front of her and her hands were immediately all over Grace.

“When I picked this out” She ran her finger under the strap across Grace’s broad shoulders, I imagined how you’d look in it” She brought her hands to Grace’s waist and ran her fingers underneath the elastic waistband “but my imagination had nothing on reality” Dani said in clear appreciation.

Grace smiled indulgently, wrapping Dani tightly against her and and bringing them a little closer to the shallow end where she could reach the bottom.

Dani’s legs circled Grace’s narrow hips and Grace held her close. “You’re beautiful” she whispered to Dani and dipped her head to kiss her.

Dani sunk into the kiss and let her hands roam underwater a little more. She cupped Graces breasts through the thin material and felt her nipples harden immediately.

“Dani” Grace said in a warning tone. But at the same time she moved her own hands from the small of Dani’s back, to her firm ass, pulling her in tighter.

“Grace” Dani whispered back in a warning tone of her own and smiled back at her lover.

She wrapped her fingers behind Graces neck and they locked eyes for a moment. Dani’s chest clenched and she felt a swell of love for the woman holding her. Graces hair was wet and slicked back, making the angles on her beautiful face even more striking. The light reflecting off the water made her eyes seem impossibly bluer, and she found herself utterly lost for words in that moment.

Grace watched Dani watching her, and felt her stomach flop like it had years ago, when she first fell for the Commander. She was a little unable to believe that she’d somehow found herself sharing a life with this woman, somehow been lucky enough to be sharing this exact moment in time together in this magical location. And the way Dani was looking at her now made her feel like she was the only person in the world. It felt tender and wonderful and right.

Grace felt a sudden swell of courage and took a deep breath.

“Marry me?” Grace asked quietly but seriously.

“What” Dani blinked, thinking she’d heard wrong.

“Marry me Dani” Grace said again, just as seriously.

“Grace” Dani stuttered, trying to find words “I” she shook her head.

Grace leant forward and kissed the startled woman, and Dani immediately pulled into the embrace.

“Marry me” She whispered into Dani’s ear as she nuzzled her neck “I love you, and I want to live my live with you” she leant back and held Dani’s face between her hands “I don’t know how, or when, and I don’t even have a fucking ring!” she laughed “But I know that I want to be your partner for life, if you’ll have me”

“Grace” Dani whispered. The truth and sincerity shining from her partners eyes took her breath away again, and her eyes filled with tears as she quickly nodded.

Grace’s eyes opened wide and she smiled brightly “That’s a yes, right” she asked.

“Yes” Dani managed to choke out through tears and wrapped her arms tightly around Grace’s shoulders. “Yes” she half laughed half cried into her partners long neck “I love you, and I’d be honoured to be your wife” she laughed. The word sounded strange even to her ears, but she meant it with everything she had. Grace was her everything, and she’d known it for a long time.

Grace felt like her heart would explode and laughed out loud. She twirled them around in the water and Dani laughed with her, feeling just as euphoric.

God, she loved the sound of Grace’s laughter.

Serena watched the two lovers in the distance and smiled happily. It was good to see her new friends relaxing and enjoying themselves for a change. It had been obvious to her from the first time she met them in the town hall that they shared a unique bond, and it had been distressing for everyone in the town when Dani had been injured and became so ill. But through it all, the striking blonde soldier was steadfast and determined that Dani would pull through, and thanks to her vigilance and care, she had.

Looking at the two now, she had trouble wrapping her head around the knowledge that they were probably two of the most lethal and powerful people in the known world. To Serena, in this moment, they were her friends, they were two very happy women in love.

But she’d seen Dani as the Commander, had seen her uncompromising side, and seen the trust and loyalty she inspired and the obvious power she held. She’d also seen the quiet soldier in action, her inhuman strength and speed, her absolute dedication to protecting the Commander.

She came back from her musings and called out to Hector and the girls that lunch was ready. Everyone eventually made their way to the sandy bank and the feast spread out before them.

Dani leant easily against Graces warm chest as they sat together around the food, happily chatting and eating the food laid out for them.

“Thank you for this” Dani said earnestly.

Serena shooshed her with a wave of her hand “Thalia prepared all this”

Dani shook her head “No, I mean thank you for sharing your home and your friendship with us. This!” she said as she looked back to the lagoon smiling and Serena beamed back.

“Of course” She smiled her appreciation as she play wrestled with Miles who’d launched himself at her. 

The four adults continued to eat and chat while Miles scampered about unable to keep still. Eventually Hector looked at his watch and apologised, saying that he had to get back into town to go over some initial plans Evelyn had drawn up for the restoration of the airport. Dani quickly looked at Grace and Grace immediately said that they’d stay a little longer and catch up with them later in the day. They bid their friends farewell and soon Dani and Grace were alone.

Grace lay flat on her back and soaked up the warmth of the sun. Dani curled into her side and placed her arm across Graces firm stomach.

“Marriage hey” Dani quipped, and Grace smiled.

Grace put a hand under her head and breathed out. “I don’t know Dani” she said almost hesitantly “I mean, I _know_ I want to be with you for the rest of my life, and my only frame of reference for that is marriage” She brought her hand down and placed it gently over Dani’s, intertwining their fingers “Honestly, I’d be just as happy to just say we’re together for life and let that be that, if a formal occasion isn’t something you’d want. I honestly don’t care if the rest of the world knows, as long as we do” She squeezed Dani in closer and let out a content sigh.

Dani pulled herself on top of her lover and straddled her hips. “Oh no” she said with a smile, leaning down and kissing her “You don’t get out of a ceremony that easily” Grace laughed and Dani did too “I want the whole … how do you say?” she paused “The whole nine yards!” she laughed again “I don’t even know what that means, but I want our friends to be there, and I want to make it formal in some way”

Grace pulled herself upright and kissed her lover “Anything you want my love” she fluidly stood up, carrying Dani along with her as she entered the warm water of the lagoon again.

“ _Quiero ser tu esposa_ ” Dani said gently and stroked Grace’s cheek, Grace quirked an eyebrow not entirely understanding and Dani smiled and kissed her softly “I want to be your wife Grace”

Grace swallowed the lump in her throat and kissed Dani back, more passionately and Dani’s arms wrapped even tighter around her neck.

With their friends gone, Grace let the tendrils of desire she’d felt earlier, bloom as she smoothly walked them through the water to the edge of the rock wall, softly pinning Dani against the slick surface before slipping her fingers past her waistband and through her wet folds.

Dani immediately let her head fall back against the wall as Grace entered her and started stroking her, kissing her neck and her collarbone. Grace pushed the bikini top aside and latched onto her breasts. 

Dani reached out and found purchase for her hands along the rock wall. She moaned long and loud as Grace’s familiar fingers quickly drew her closer toward climax.

“I love you Dani” Grace breathed as she pushed harder and faster with her forearm. She captured Dani’s mouth just as she arched into the first wave of her orgasm and they rode it out pressed tightly together.

Dani’s arms dropped from their hold on the wall and wrapped around Grace’s strong shoulders. She locked her legs tightly around Grace’s hips and moved her pelvis again while Grace held her arm firm, her fingers still deep inside her. Dani rocked hard against her lovers’ fingers, digging her own into Grace’s back, trying to get her closer.

Grace angled her hand so that her thumb brushed against Dani’s clit with each stroke and Dani quietly moaned her appreciation, pushing harder until her legs began to tremble. Grace took over and pumped her arm quickly, giving her lover the last few strokes she needed to tip over the edge, and again Grace held her close and revelled in the feeling of Dani’s trembling body against hers.

Dani buried her head in Graces neck and kissed the soft skin near her lips as her body fluttered through gentle aftershocks. After long moments, she let out a sigh and she let her body relax completely, knowing Grace would keep her in place. Close and safe and warm. She smiled at the idea of this woman being her wife, and it felt wonderful and right.

The afternoon had shifted the sun a little and Grace could tell Dani was beginning to feel the chill out of the sun, but was loath to break the moment with words, so she silently carried them both back to the towel on the warm bank. She lay Dani down and placed herself on her side against her lover. Letting the sun and her body heat warm her up a little.

Dani looked up at Grace, and her heart, which moments ago felt like it couldn’t get fuller, suddenly did. She reached up and drew Grace’s beautiful face to hers and kissed her deeply.

“My wife” she breathed with a sense of wonder and Grace smiled around the kiss.

Dani rolled Grace onto her back and began kissing her way down her tall lovers’ body. She loved the new bikini, loved how it hugged Grace’s firm body in all the right places, loved how it gave her almost unlimited access to that body. She undid the clasp at the back of her neck, pulled it down and latched onto a firm nipple, giving the other similar treatment with her fingers.

Grace pushed up into the contact and Dani snaked her hand beneath Graces bikini bottom and began to stroke her.

“uuuugghhhh Dani” Grace breathed as her hips started to rock against Dani’s hand. Dani moved down to Grace’s tight, trembling stomach and tenderly kissed the warm skin. She found a sensitive spot on Graces left hipbone and gently sucked and nipped at it until Grace was moaning constantly. Grace’s hands came down and grabbed a handful of the towel, squeezing it tightly as her stomach began to tighten.

Dani moved lower and settled herself between Graces now trembling legs. She kept her fingers sliding smoothly inside her wet centre and softly dragged her tongue through her wet folds until it came to her clit. She pulled it gently into her mouth and ran her tongue over it, feeling Grace arch again. She sucked on the bundle of nerves gently and circled it with her tongue, letting the soft sensation bring her lover closer to the edge.

“Dani” Grace gasped, her breath hitching as she felt herself tip.

Dani continued to gently love her partner as she rocked through each pleasure filled wave, her inner walls squeezing her fingers gently until Graces legs dropped back to the towel and her body relaxed.

Dani placed tender kisses on the inside of her lover’s thighs and snaked her body back up and onto Graces. She felt Grace’s arms wrap around her as she caught her breath. Dani ran her hands through Graces still damp hair and cupped her face.

“I can see myself doing that for the rest of my life” she said with a loving smile and Grace laughed in agreement much to Dani’s delight.

“I’d like that” Grace answered back with a smile and pulled Dani’s head toward her for a kiss, a kiss which left them breathless again, and somehow ended with Dani being pinned under Grace’s long body.

Grace suddenly pulled her head up and sighed as she heard the sound of a decelerating car in the distance.

She kissed Dani quickly “Somebody’s coming” she grinned and pushed herself up, helping Dani up at the same time.

The two silently dusted themselves off and put on their clothes, gathering the towel to leave.

Dani squeezed Graces hand quickly, halting them “I just want a second” she said and pulled Graces arms around her, leaning into the strong warm body behind her. She looked out at the beautiful waterfall and the lagoon and tried to make a mental picture to file away. This place, this day, was a particularly special one, probably one of the best of her life, and she wanted to remember it. She sighed happily as Grace hugged her closer and kissed her neck tenderly.

Dani brought one of Graces hands up to kiss it and held it as they made their way towards their Jeep.

They were just within sight of the road when Grace’s hand suddenly tightened painfully in hers. 

“Dani” Grace gasped, confusion clear in her voice.

“Grace?” Dani looked up at her partner in concern.

“I don’t feel so good” she gasped again and dropped to her knees, panting as her body suddenly went into what looked like a stage 5 crash out of nowhere.

“Grace! What is it?” She dropped quickly to her partners side checking her body over. Her skin wasn’t hot, but her breathing was fast and laboured. This looked like a crash, but it couldn’t be.

Grace shook her head in confusion and tried to stand “My” she gasped again “My power …” but before she could complete the word her eyes rolled back in her head and her body simply collapsed.

“Grace!” Dani tried to support Grace’s much heavier body as it tipped over, guiding her to the ground. She was still breathing and she had a pulse, but Dani couldn’t understand what had just happened. This crash, or whatever it was, had happened so suddenly and for no apparent reason.

She reached around Grace’s hip and pulled out the ever-present med gun. Administering a quick dose into her arm.

“Come on Grace. Wake up” She said firmly to her unconscious lover. She gently rolled Grace over and checked her skin to see if there was a bite or scratch she hadn’t noticed before, but she couldn’t see anything, she rolled her back and looked over her front but saw no external injuries or new marks on her skin.

“Fuck!” Dani swore when the meds seemingly had no effect after a few minutes. She administered a second dose.

Something was very wrong.

She ran to the parked Jeep, pulled out her radio and asked Hadrell to get the chopper to their location. It was at least an hour drive back to town, and that was if she could even get Grace’s heavy body into the car by herself. She had no idea what had caused Grace to blackout, so she didn’t want to risk the time. She cracked a flare and threw it out onto the road to guide the chopper to their location, and then sprinted back to Grace.

The second dose seemed to have helped a little, and Grace was stirring as Dani reached her. But she seemed much too ill for this just to be a crash. 

“Grace” She spoke urgently to her now semi-unconscious lover “Just stay with me okay” she said and stroked her clammy brow.

“Wha … What happened?” Grace asked in confusion, trying unsuccessfully to pull herself up but Dani placed a calming hand on her chest and gently encouraged her to stay down.

“You passed out” Dani said worriedly “You crashed, out of nowhere”

Grace tried to access her RD and didn’t understand what she was seeing, or more, what she wasn’t seeing. Nothing was coming up on her display.

“What?” Dani asked, the concern growing in her voice as she saw the confusion on Graces face.

“It’s” she took a breath “my power source” She spoke through each short breath. “I don’t understand” she blinked as if to try and clear her vision, ‘It’s powered off” she said in confusion.

Dani shook her head “What?!” she exclaimed.

Grace shook her head again and felt a wave of overwhelming fatigue wash over her, so she tried to focus on not letting it pull her away.

Dani saw her struggle and quietened, holding Graces hand and stroking her face. She felt like this was something she had done far too many times. Sitting by helplessly as her partner lay ill or dying by her side. She let impotent tears slide down her face but quickly wiped them away. Grace didn’t need to add worry for her on top of whatever else was happening.

Dani quickly got back up and went to their vehicle again. She grabbed a blanket from the back and rushed back to Grace who was still conscious but in obvious pain and distress with no means to monitor or control her body.

Dani pulled off her sweater and bunched it up under Grace’s head. She then opened the blanket and drew it over her partner, knowing that without her power source her body would start to go into a form of shock.

“Help will be here soon” Dani assured her partner.

Grace found Dani’s hand and gripped it firmly. She was visibly struggling to breath, but Dani had no idea how to make it easier for her.

“meds” Grace gasped and Dani immediately injected another dose.

The third dose seemed to help again, her breathing slowed, but Grace was still clearly struggling and in pain.

Dani wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but she soon heard the engine of the approaching chopper and within another 10 minutes Hadrell was racing toward them with a stretcher.

“Commander!” he yelled over the whirr of the blades.

“She crashed, out of nowhere. She said that her power source just shut down” Dani explain what little she could, and the General immediately crouched next to Grace, reassuring her she was going to be okay. He accessed his RD and could see no power emitting from where her power source should be. His X-ray assuring him it was in place, but definitely not functioning. His stomach churned at the thought of what Grace would be feeling right now.

Together they pulled her onto the stretcher and Dani had a moment of flashback to the dam where she and Specialist Romano had done exactly the same thing. He breath caught in her chest for a moment before Grace’s warm hand in hers reminded her that she was alive and awake, not bleeding to death and unconscious.

Together they moved Grace toward the chopper which Hadrell had skilfully landed in a small clearing on the road about 20 meters away from the parked car.

Just as they were about to load Grace into the chopper, the man she recognised as Murphy emerged from the overgrowth, tossing a small object in his hand. It was a metallic cylinder-shaped device, about the size of a large grapefruit.

Dani felt ill. She immediately knew what the device was. Remembered the case Carl and Sarah had procured from General Dean over 20 years ago. This monster had set one off an EMP as she and Grace had walked past.

“She’s not so tough now is she” He mocked proudly, obviously intoxicated.

“ _Cabron!”_ she seethed, her hands balling into fists by her sides “I’ll kill you!”

“Okay” he raised his arms “Let’s see how the wetback does without her bodyguard” he mocked and pulled out a handgun.

Hadrell was instantly in front of her and absorbed the shot in his side, barely registering the impact as the small calibre bullet glanced off his subdermal lining.

As the shot rang out, Dani sidestepped William charged at the drunk, disarming him with a well-practiced grip, and knocking him out cold with a vicious elbow to his jaw. She pulled him into a hold, ready to break his neck but Hadrell quickly and wordlessly pulled him out of Dani’s arms and handcuffed him with cable ties to the nearest large tree. Dani panted through her anger, wanting him dead but knowing William had done the right thing. She heard him radio through to Hector advise him briefly of what had happened, where they could find Murphy, and that they’d be needing access to the towns’ medical facility. 

Dani let her anger wash away as she ran back toward the stretcher and her partner. They lifted Grace into the chopper and were soon in the air.

Grace was still conscious, still struggling to breath, and in obvious pain. Dani just kept talking to her the whole way and Grace’s grip on her hand stayed firm the whole trip.

By the time they landed Evelyn had been brought back from the power facility to meet them. Dr Guiria was there too, as were Hector, Serena and Thalia.

Jackson and a few members of the militia were also there and silently took positions at the hospital entry, signalling to everyone who would pass by that the Commander and her team were under the protection of Perseverance. Murphy may have acted alone, but they weren’t going to take any chances.

The group were escorted into the single-story building that functioned as the towns’ hospital and Grace was placed onto the waiting gurney and wheeled into an exam room.

“It was an EMP Eve” Dani quickly explained. “Bastard set off an EMP”

“ _Merde!_ ” Evelyn swore angrily, and immediately started checking Grace’s vitals.

“Do you have oxygen” Evelyn asked Simon who nodded and quickly wheeled a tank in. She set it up and placed the mask over Grace’s mouth and nose.

“I need a muscle relaxant and an anticonvulsant” she said to the room.

Simon looked at Dani and spoke quickly “There was some benzodiazepine and gabapentin in the air-drop from earlier” She nodded and he went to the supply cabinet and fetched the medication.

Evelyn saw her friends’ struggle to breath and quickly elevated the head of the hospital bed so that some pressure was taken off Grace’s chest and she could breathe a little easier. “Fuck!” Evelyn swore as the severity of Grace’s condition dawned on her.

Grace pulled on her mask weakly and Dani took her hand again, trying to calm her.

“What is it Eve?” Dani asked, trying to keep her panic under control. She saw her friend hesitate, perhaps not wanting to speak in-front of Grace or the others, but Dani wouldn’t hide anything from her partner. And the doctor and community leaders had earned her trust. “Please tell us”

Evelyn ran a worried hand through her hair and tried to explain what was happening.

“Without a functioning power source and microprocessor Grace’s nervous system can’t move any of the hydraulic actuators in her body”. Dani nodded, but Hector, Serena, Dr Guiria and Thalia simply stood in confused silence.

She spoke to Dr Guiria explaining briefly “Each of her major limbs has an actuator implant to enhance the way the natural muscle and tendon attachments move each joint’

He nodded.

She went on to explain “The ones I’m concerned about right now are those around her lungs” She looked down at Grace and could see that her ribcage wasn’t expanding like it should.

She explained in more detail for Dani and the doctor. “There are four small actuators attached from her spine to her ribcage that help support her torso, help stabilise the structures and help accommodate her increased lung capacity during aerobic activity” Dani nodded, knowing all of this already. “There’s another, slightly superior attached from her spine to the posterior head of her humerus, acting in conjunction with the large latissimus muscle of her back to help move and support her shoulder complex” she took another breath and ran her hand through her hair again “And another running from her sternum to the anterior head of her humerus, which act in conjunction with her pectoral muscle group across her chest” Dani nodded again.

Dr Guiria let out a breath suddenly realising that if those areas of Grace’s body weren’t moving freely they could severely compromise her ability to breath.

Evelyn continued “She currently has no deliberate control over any of them”

Dani looked down at her partner, saw her struggle to breath, and realised that the now inactive mechanics inside her body were preventing her from being able to take a full breath. 

Evelyn continued “Then then there’s the added complication of her bone density. The alloy mesh her bones are encased in adds enormous strength to the bones, but it also adds weight, approximately forty kilograms, or just over 100 pounds, body wide” Evelyn looked down at her struggling friend.

She explained further “We rely on the free movement of our sternum, our ribs, even our clavicles to breath easily, and in Graces case, she’s probably carrying close to an extra fifteen to twenty kilograms” she paused and did the quick conversion “between 33-44 pounds from those bones and actuators alone”

“Shit” Dr Guiria whispered.

Dani nodded her understanding “So without power to help the actuators move, she has to try and breath not only with the added weight on her chest, but against the added resistance of a hydraulic system that won’t move freely”

Evelyn nodded “Oui” She turned and asked Dr Guiria to set up an IV, and she quickly drew a dose of the two medications and fed it into the cannula.

Evelyn saw that Hector and Thalia still seemed a bit dumbfounded and tried to explain it a bit more simply “Essentially Grace is going to feel like she’s breathing through a wet rag, with a small child sitting on her chest”

She withdrew the now empty syringe and placed it aside “This will keep her muscles relaxed, help with any nerve pain, and prevent any seizures, but each breath she takes is a fight against the machinery and the weight inside of her, each breath will fatigue her even more”

“So, what do we need to do to get her power source working again” Dani asked.

Evelyn shook her head. “Dani, if it was an EMP, her power source can’t be recovered, nor can her chip” she took a breath “they need replacing”

The room became silent except for the sound of Grace’s laboured breathing.

“hijo de puta!” Dani yelled

Dr Guiria spoke quietly “Dr Beraud, I assume Grace has enhanced musculature if she’s carrying this added weight?”

Evelyn nodded “Oui, our medical team selectively stimulate the growth of certain muscle fibres while we reinforce the skeleton, why?”

Dr Guiria moved closer to Grace and pulled his stethoscope from around his neck. Silently asking for permission from Grace. She nodded weakly. He pressed it against several sections of her lungs as she breathed.

“When we breath, our diaphragm usually does most of the work. But Grace is already using her accessory muscles” He ran his finger along the prominent muscles down her neck. “The scalenes, the trapezius, the sternocleidomastoid, are all muscles that get recruited to help us breath if we are struggling or under stress, but normally they aren’t designed to take that load for long periods of time. Eventually they will fatigue, but if they’ve been enhanced, that could give us some time couldn’t it?” He asked in a serious but optimistic tone.

Evelyn nodded “The muscle fibres of her SCM, lats, pecs and traps have all been enhanced, but in terms of how much more time that buys us, I honestly don’t know”

Dr Guiria nodded his understanding “My concern is that while we try and solve the issue of her power source, her body will cease being able to carry the extra load by itself. She’s compensating naturally for now. She’s breathing faster to get the oxygen into her bloodstream, but eventually her musculature will fatigue and her respiratory rate will decline as will her oxygen saturation” Dr Guiria explained.

“Exactly” Evelyn acknowledged quietly 

The two doctors quickly looked at each other, knowing that they might need to put Grace on a ventilator should that happen.

“What else do we need to be worried about Dr Beraud? Is the power source stable?” Dr Guiria asked.

“Oui” she nodded. “For a little while longer”

“And then what” Dani asked quietly.

“Dani, even switched off, the power source, if kept where it is, will continue to leech small amounts of radiation into her body, and she has no functioning nanites in her bloodstream anymore to carry away toxins or cellular debris. We can’t risk a meltdown or radiation poisoning by keeping it where it is”

“So we need to remove it” Dani answered. Evelyn nodded, and Dani sighed heavily. “Okay, how do we do this?” she looked between Evelyn and Dr Guiria.

Both looked back at her with stunned expressions.

“I” Evelyn stammered “I’ve watched the insertion procedure dozens of times Dani, but I’m not a surgeon, I make the machinery, Dr Yeo performs the surgery”

“Can you talk Dr Guiria through what you know about the procedure?” Dani asked

“Maybe” Evelyn stammered “But Dani, I’m an engineer, I know the machinery, how it’s built and how it operates, I know the biomedical intricacies of how the machinery interacts with the human anatomy, but I’m not a surgeon, I wouldn’t know the safest way to extract it”

“We can reach Dr Yeo via the HAM Commander” Hadrell spoke up. 

“Do it” She said quickly. And Hadrell dashed off

Dr Guiria escorted everyone out of the room except Dani. The patient needed to be kept as calm as possible and he knew the only person in the room who could do that was Dani.

Dani watched her partners chest rise and fall rapidly, her skin cold and clammy instead of heated like it would normally be during a crash.

“It’s going to be okay Grace” She squeezed the hand in hers and placed a cool hand on her forehead.

Grace could only nod and squeeze Dani’s hand in return.

As the medication started to work, Grace’s breathing became less laboured, but still shallow, and she finally felt some relief as some of her muscles around her chest relaxed. But as the vice around her chest loosened, she felt a pain emerge from every part of her body. She felt it slowly grow until she was trembling from it.

“Grace” Dani asked, concern clear in her eyes. “What is it?”

Grace closed her eyes and tried to push it away. “I don’t know” she gasped. “It feels like every part of my body is being cut open”

“Doctor!” Dani called out and he rushed into the room. He saw his patients’ distress and immediately grabbed a vial of morphine and fed a quick dose into the cannula. Within seconds Grace’s body settled and she fell into a restless sleep.

“Where was her pain?” Dr Guiria asked Dani

Dani shook her head and answered sadly “Everywhere”

Hadrell returned with the HAM radio and within minutes they’d managed to reach the base, and after a few minutes more Dr Yeo’s familiar voice came through.

Dani quickly explained to the doctor “Susan, An EMP took out Graces power source and her chip”

“Quite the surgical merry-go-round you two have going” she said sardonically.

Dani nodded silently; the truth of her words felt like a kick to the stomach. It really did seem that this kind of thing happened all too often. 

“What are her stats?” Dr Yeo asked quickly.

Dr Guiria quickly ran them off “Dr Guiria here, pulse 100, BP 140/110, Resp 20, Oxygen saturation 90%”

“Temp?” she asked quickly.

“101” The doctor quickly replied.

“And you’re sure it was an EMP Dani” Dr Yeo asked.

“Positive doctor” she replied

“Okay, so we need to remove the core before it starts to degrade, I’ll need Dr Beraud, and Dr Guiria to prep her for surgery.

Evelyn quickly spoke into the radio “Doctor Yeo, I need you to tell my team to start prepping a new power source. Ask them to bring up Grace’s biometric file and begin immediately”

“Done” came the quick reply.

Evelyn spoke again, “It should take around 7 to 8 days, does Grace have that time?”

There was a deafening pause.

“Possibly” Dr Yeo answered “It depends on how Grace’s body copes with the surgery and how her pulmonary system manages without the power source” there was a brief pause. “You also need to be aware that she will be in a great deal of pain until we can get a new power source fitted. Without her augments and microprocessor, her body will be feeling the effects of every past trauma it’s been through, as though it were you or I. And remember Grace has been through a lot of physical trauma, her pain will not be easy to manage. She no longer has the ability to dampen the pain caused by healed or healing tissue so you’ll need to keep her heavily sedated, and possibly, eventually ventilated. Do you have a ventilator there?”

“We do” Dr Guiria spoke

Evelyn spoke again “Dr Yeo. Once my team has completed the power source, I need you to fly it to us. We’ll work on clearing a landing strip for you over the next week” Evelyn directed confidently.

Dani remained mostly silent through the exchange, confident that between them, Dr Yeo, Evelyn and Simon would do everything they needed to. She remained quietly by her sleeping partners side. To be honest she hadn’t even thought about clearing a runway so they could fly the power source to them. She was grateful, not for the first time, that she had this team around her. People who knew more than she did in so many areas and were confident in their abilities to take over when they needed to.

“Once the surgery is over, give me a list of anything else you need, and I’ll make sure a transport is prepped and ready as soon as the power source is finished.” Dr Yeo answered back.

Dani had an idea and spoke up quickly “Doctor, I need you ask Evelyn’s team to make duplicate power sources and microprocessors for all of the existing Augments?”

There was a pause.

Dani explained her request “Susan, With Legion no longer a threat, I want us to have access to immediate replacements should something like this happen again. Obviously, they’d be under strict lock-up, the same as any of our sensitive technology, but I don’t want another Augment potentially dying because we haven’t updated our protocols” she said firmly.

“Of course” Dr Yeo replied “but you’ll need to speak to the Committee as well, they aren’t going to make such a big change just off my word”

“I’ll do that ASAP” Dani acknowledged quickly “I’ll also need to advise them that we won’t be returning as we’d planned” she said. 

“Okay, let’s get the power source removed then” Dr Yeo replied.

Dr Guiria moved Graces bed through the short hall and into what looked like an operating theatre. Hadrell set the radio on the closest bench. He had brought the large medical kit and started laying out the sterile packages.

“Dr Yeo, we don’t have general here so I’ll be using heavy sedation and morphine, will that be enough?”

“If it’s all you have, it’ll have to be, doctor” she replied plainly.

He drew another dose of the morphine and the benzodiazepine and infused it into the drip, he wanted a constant dose running through Grace’s veins as he operated.

He and Hadrell lifted her onto the operating table and he attached her to an old portable monitor which displayed her vitals and he read them out again for the doctor. Everything appeared within range except for her respiration rate and the corresponding oxygen saturation, but Grace wasn’t an ordinary human so he had no idea what they considered ‘within range’ for her.

They cut away Graces clothing and draped her torso, leaving her abdomen exposed, Evelyn quickly applied the betadine swab liberally over the area and drew a dose of topical anaesthetic, handing it to the doctor who shook his head.

“Where will I be cutting?” he asked.

Dr Yeo’s voice came over the radio “You’ll see a white scar, midline from her sternum to her navel”

He nodded and quickly applied the anaesthetic along either side of the white scar.

“You’ll see another two scars running from the navel, midline to the obliques”

He received another syringe of anaesthetic and applied it along those scars.

“Hadrell?” Dr Yeo called out.

“Here doctor” he answered. 

“Monitor her vitals and tell me if anything changes significantly”

“Right” he answered back.

“Are you ready Dr Guiria?”

His hand shook slightly but he nodded, then remembered that he was speaking via radio “Ready”

“Okay, before you cut, you need to ensure that the scalpel has passed through the layer of protective mesh under her dermis, apply about twice the amount of pressure you normally would, you’ll feel it when it happens”

He took a deep breath and placed the scalpel at Graces sternum, he pressed the tip into her skin and felt a distinct resistance under the blade. He pushed incrementally harder until he felt the blade slide through and his eyes widened in surprise. He slid the blade all the way to Graces navel and repeated the process again along the horizontal scars from her navel out toward her obliques.

Evelyn immediately used retractors to keep the skin and mesh underlayer open for the doctor.

“Her anatomy is human, doctor, what you’re trying to do is move past her intestines and expose the power source that’s attached to a mount welded to the anterior aspect of her spine. You’ll be working through a lot of adhesions and scars as you move, so go slowly, try not to cut if you don’t have to, we don’t want her in any more pain that she has to be after this”

“okay” he said simply and began making his way toward her spine. His head spinning at all the evidence of past trauma he could see. Liver resections, intestinal repairs, scarring on her diaphragm and lots of intestinal adhesions where old wounds had healed, He’d never operated on anyone with this much evidence of internal damage before. He blew out a breath when his hands touched the metal inside her. “I found it” he said evenly.

“Okay, removing it from the cradle is the easy part, what you need to make sure of is that you don’t damage the cradle or any surrounding tissue as you extract it”

“Right”

“Use you fingers. Wrap them around the rod and pull gently toward you. You’ll hear it click out of place”

Dani leant forward in her seat next to Grace’s head. Feeling bile rise in her throat at the sound, remembering when she had done the same. 

“Okay” he said.

“Guide it out smoothly, it has no sharp edges, but be careful nonetheless.”

“Done” he said and placed the rod in the tray next to him.

“Now Evelyn, I need you to go back and check the cradle, make sure it looks in- tact, Dr Guiria make sure you can’t see any bleeds”

He opened the path towards the cradle again and Evelyn took a moment to inspect it. He took in as much as he could, barely able to believe Grace had so much machinery inside her. He could see her spine behind the cradle, fully reinforced with the metallic mesh and his medical brain worked overtime to try and capture everything.

“Cradle looks fine doctor” Evelyn said.

“Okay, flush the area once, just to make sure there are no bleeds”

Dr Guiria did so, and no fresh blood coloured the area.

“Looks clear”

“Okay good job, now close her back up. Can you use the plasma laser doctor Guiria?”

“Grace actually showed me how” he smiled lightly and glanced quickly at Dani.

Together he and Evelyn closed the three incisions, leaving the same white scarring behind on Graces abdomen.

“Doctor, resps are 30” Hadrell spoke up.

“That will be her body responding to the pain” Dr Yeo answered back. “BP and pulse still within range?” she asked

“Yes ma’am” he said.

“Okay, so now we wait. Without her power core, expect her temp to drop to around 98-99 degrees, so treat anything above 100 as a fever from here on out. She needs to be on prophylactic IV antibiotics, constant pain relief and anxiolytics, but the trade-off is that her lungs may eventually need to be ventilated. Don’t ventilate her too soon though, let her fight this normally for as long as is safe, because if we intercede with mechanical ventilation we don’t know what will happen once we introduce the new power source. Last time it took her almost three weeks to breath on her own again”

“Last time?” Dr Guiria said, clearly astounded.

“She’s been through more than most” Dani spoke quietly as she stroked Graces forehead and swiping at her own tears that spilled despite her best efforts to keep them contained.

“Jesus” he spoke quietly. The doctor in him was desperate to know more about Grace’s augmented body but he knew this was not the time.

“Good job everyone” Dr Yeo spoke. “If you need anything, just radio. But for now, let her rest. And Commander?”

“Yes” Dani spoke

“You make sure you rest as well, okay? Grace will need you in the coming weeks, and you can’t help her if you exhaust yourself”

“Yes doctor” Dani said quietly.

“Okay, call me if anything changes”

And with that the connection was cut.

Hadrell helped Dr Guiria wheel Grace back into the hospital room. He hooked her back up to the monitors and kept the oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. He draped her in a sheet, and pulled a blanket up over that, knowing that her body temperature was slowly declining and to her, it would feel cold.

He left to go clean up the OR and Evelyn sat next to Dani.

“Thank you, Eve” Dani said earnestly.

Evelyn just squeezed her hand in acknowledgement.

Grace’s breathing was shallow and rapid, but her body seemed relaxed for the time being. In that moment of quiet Dani thought back to the perfectness of the day they’d just spent together, how it had been shattered because of Murphy and she felt her rage seep back in. She got up and signalled Hadrell to follow her.

She didn’t have to walk far. Hector and Thalia were seated in the foyer of the building, obviously waiting for news. Dani stopped mid-stride, she hadn’t expected them to still be there. Her anger washing away slightly as she looked into their clearly concerned eyes.

Hector stood up and opened his mouth to speak.

“She’s stable for now” Dani quickly interrupted “We’re going to have to clear a runway over the next week, I’ll be sending the General and Dr Beraud out to help, if you wouldn’t mind assisting with machinery if you have it, and people who have the knowledge or skill to help?

“Of course” Thalia replied.

“Murphy?” Dani asked quickly, feeling her anger build again.

“He will be banished” Thalia answered.

“Where I’m from, he would be executed” she said through clenched teeth, feeling her rage return full force. “He intended to kill her!” she yelled “And he intended to kill me! The General here has a new bullet wound thanks to him, and Grace …” she stopped and choked back a sob.

Thalia instantly moved forward and wrapped the younger woman up in a fierce embrace, and Dani, let her tears flow. It had been so long since anyone had embraced her like this. Maternally. And her body immediately responded to the innate desire to be held and comforted by one’s mother. And although Thalia certainly wasn’t her mother, she was a mother, and she hugged like one. 

Hadrell and Hector moved themselves out of the building to begin discussing the runway project and Evelyn joined them.

“May I see her” Thalia asked the young woman still in her arms and felt her nod. She took Dani’s hand and together they made their way to the hospital room.

Dr Guiria was there, checking her vitals and hanging another saline bag filled with the sedative and pain killer.

Dani lead Thalia to the seat closest to Grace, and she rounded the bed and sat by her lovers’ side.

“When you were sick, I saw her strength, her love and her absolute determination to get you better” Thalia spoke evenly. “At the town lunch, I saw her loyalty and adoration for you” she smiled up at Dani “She’s a strong one” Thalia took one of Grace’s hands and gently stroked the soft skin of her forearm. “She won’t leave you easily” she smiled a knowing smile.

Dani half laughed, half cried “No, no she won’t” she nodded in agreement.

She saw Thalia’s questioning gaze and sighed deeply “The war tried to take her several times” she held her partners hand, remembering every time in a moment “since I’ve known her, Grace’s heart has stopped at least five, maybe six times” Dr Guiria and Thalia both looked down at Grace in shock. “And each time, somehow, she fights her way back” she smiled and placed a kiss on her hand again, leaning back and waiting patiently for Grace to wake.

The doctor and Thalia left quietly, and Evelyn returned to take a seat with her friend for a few hours, sharing a perfunctory dinner together before Dani told her to go get some sleep before the next day. Evelyn reluctantly left, looking back into the room briefly wondering how many times she would see this visage; either Dani or Grace sick, the other, remaining steadfast by the others’ side.

She became angry as she exited the building, her friends had been through more than most, they deserved some peace for a change and it wasn’t fair. She let impotent tears slide down her face and walked straight into Williams strong embrace, letting herself cry over the unfairness of it, over her frustration at being unable to help Grace in any immediate or significant way.

William didn’t say anything. He knew how Evelyn was feeling. He felt the same. Truth be told, he wanted to go break Murphy’s neck, to hell with the alliance. But Evelyn’s soft warmth, kept him in place. Her vulnerability made him settle his anger. For her. 

***

Grace woke early the next morning and Dani was right there.

“Dani?” She asked groggily. She tried to sit up but her body felt heavy, and there was pain everywhere.

Dani briefly explained the last 24 hours, that she’d just had surgery, but that she didn’t have a power source or functioning microprocessor at the moment, so she’d need to conserve her energy as much as possible.

Grace nodded weakly, trying to pull the oxygen mask from her face.

Dani tried putting it back, but Grace resisted. Her breaths might have been shallow and laboured, but she felt suffocated by the mask over her face.

Dani noticed a slight tremble in Graces hand and recognised her partners reaction to pain. She knew that the drip contained as much pain relief as she was permitted to have so there was no point requesting more. Her augmented body by design required significantly more pain relief than normal, but without her power source, her very human body wouldn’t tolerate the higher doses. They’d be risking an overdose, possible heart failure or respiratory failure or all three if they increased it anymore. 

“How’s the pain” Dani asked, feeling Grace’s hand tighten in hers briefly.

Grace’s jaw clenched and relaxed quickly “It passes” she said quietly.

Dani quirked an eyebrow “on a scale of 1 to 10 Grace”

Grace clenched her jaw and let another wave pass. “maybe a 7” she said meekly and Dani’s chest tightened to think of Grace in so much pain despite the heavy pain medication she was on, but she knew there was nothing she could do about it so she tried to distract her partner for a little while. 

Dani explained what was happening while Grace was lucid enough to understand. That a new power source was being built and that Dr Yeo was flying it here within a week or so. She explained that Hadrell and Evelyn were assisting some of the community to clear a runway which would not only serve as a landing strip for this delivery, but potentially as an access point should they form their alliance.

“wow” Grace breathed quickly and squeezed Dani’s hand, smiling at her tenacious and determined partner.

Dani leant forward and kissed Grace’s forehead. “You just need to rest, and keep yourself strong okay’ she said, tears forming in her eyes.

Grace took a quick, laboured breath and closed her eyes for a second “I’ll try” she said softly before another quick inhale. 

Dani could see Grace fading again and gently stroked her hair until she drifted off to sleep before placing the oxygen mask back over her nose and mouth.

Grace spent that 24 hours mostly knocked out from the painkillers and Dani rarely left her side.

On the second day Grace’s struggle to breath became more noticeable. Her oxygen saturation had dropped overnight to 89% and her respiration rate had begun to decline.

She would wake, every few hours almost gasping for breath despite the oxygen mask. Dani would soothe her quickly with a soft touch, a gentle kiss, or softly spoken words, trying to reduce her energy expenditure, trying to keep the pain at bay, knowing that each breath, was a breathe closer to having to use the ventilator, and they all wanted to try to put that off as long as possible. 

Dani would give her updates on the runway, and tell her about the happenings around the community, mundane things to try and keep her engaged when she was awake, but Grace’s energy faded quickly, her breathing laboured as her body struggled under the weight of itself, and she would eventually drift off in a fatigue and drug induced haze for a couple of house before she had the energy to try and interact again. 

Dani watched her sleeping partner and saw the strain in the muscles of her neck and chest as they tried to help her lungs to fill. Grace would manage a short inhalation and then try again, the strain on her very human body evident in her declining oxygen saturation level which was now sitting at a dangerous 88%. Dani would watch helplessly as the process repeated itself far too few times each minute to adequately oxygenate her body.

She could clearly see that Grace was fatiguing more quickly each hour. When she woke, she was barely able to stay awake for more than a few minutes at a time before the hypoxia and constant pain pulled her back to sleep. Grace’s hand in hers never seemed to stop trembling from the pain which was being so poorly managed by the morphine alone, but she never complained or spoke of it unless Dani asked her specifically.

Very early on the third day, Dr Guiria voiced his growing concern, and made a point to mention that the continued hypoxia would interfere with the healing process of her surgical would, and could leave her body too poorly perfused when the power source eventually did arrive for them to operate again.

Dani was relieved to have the doctor broach the subject. She couldn’t watch Grace struggle anymore, and didn’t want to endanger her any further by delaying putting her on a ventilator, but she also knew that ventilating her came with it’s own set of risks, the biggest being how long after the power source insertion would her natural respiratory reflex kick back in? would it kick back in?

She agreed and asked Dr Guiria to liaise with Dr Yeo, for them to make the best medical choice for Grace. He immediately got on the radio and relayed his concerns for the Captains lung function. Her oxygen saturation was still steadily declining as were her respiration rates, and the parts of her lungs she wasn’t able to inflate, were beginning to show signs of collapse.

Dr Yeo agreed, with some reservations, that it was time to start mechanical ventilation if they were to keep her tissue perfused and healthy for the upcoming surgery.

Dani asked that she be allowed to wake Grace before they did the procedure. She wanted to be able to tell her partner what was about to happen, she wanted to speak to her, to look at her, to tell her that she loved her. She kept trying to leave off the ‘ _just in case’_ but it was there, heavy on her shoulders, nonetheless. 

“Hey sweetheart” Dani stroked Graces brow for a minute of two before Grace’s hand twitched in Dani’s and her eyes fluttered opened, tired, and pain filled, but happy to see her

“Hey” Grace answered quietly.

Dani smiled and helped Grace take off the mask before kissing her softly. She stroked her face and tried not to get lost in the blue of her eyes. Her hand shook and her throat closed up as that almost ever-present tendril of fear grew inside of her but she took a breath and pushed it down. She tried to relay the information to Grace quickly, trying not to let her voice give her fear away. She knew that the medic in Grace would understand what was happening, and why.

“Grace, your oxygen sats are sitting at 87% and your resps are less than 10 per minute, sometimes as low as 6” She paused to let her partner absorb the information and she saw Grace accept the news she was about to deliver before she even spoke.

“Doctor Yeo has asked Doctor Guiria to intubate you so that we can keep you oxygenated until we can get the new power source implanted”

Grace closed her eyes briefly then nodded but didn’t say anything. Her eyes were resigned; tired and full of pain, and Dani just wanted to take it all away.

She ran her hands through Graces hair and whispered “You’ll go to sleep, you’ll breath easier, and when you wake up, you’ll have a new power source and be back to yourself in no time okay?” she smiled and stroked her lovers cool cheek, noticing again just how strange it was for Grace’s skin to be cooler than hers.

“kay” Grace said between breaths. To be honest, she had never felt so tired in her life, except for that one time, laying at the bottom of the reservoir, dying.

“I love you” Dani said earnestly and kissed the back of Graces hand gently. “You stay strong, and I’ll be here when you wake up in a few days okay?”

Grace nodded and smiled then grimaced through another breath. Her body hurt everywhere, but especially with every breath. She knew she could delay the pain if she just held off her next breath, and she tried each time, but she couldn’t, and the pain came again.

She squeezed Dani’s hand gently and Dani quickly kissed her again before nodding to the doctor who fed the heavy sedative through the cannula in Grace’s arm, sending her almost instantly to sleep. He dropped the bed flat, gently tilted her head back, and expertly intubated Grace. He attached the breathing tube to the ventilator and the machine was soon breathing for her.

He had to adjust the pressure to accommodate for the added resistance of the machinery inside her, but soon she was taking deep, even, full breaths. The mechanical ventilator able to force her lungs open in a way her very weak body couldn’t anymore.

And as much as Dani hated seeing Grace attached to the machine, as much as she was afraid of what came afterwards, she saw the immediate rise in her oxygen saturation and the even respiratory rate and knew that they’d made the right decision.

Now all they had to do was to try and keep her pain under control and to try and keep her sedated heavily enough so that she wouldn’t wake up or fight the machine. 

Dani sat back in her chair and watched the even rise and fall of Graces chest and listened to the familiar ticking of the ventilator and within minutes she’d fallen asleep.

Dr Guiria watched Dani drift off and brought a cot into Graces room. He gently lifted the sleeping woman onto it and covered her with a blanket, letting out a sigh of relief.

He’d started worrying about Dani. He hadn’t seen her sleep properly in the four days that Grace had been in the hospital, he knew she was exhausted and hadn’t been eating except when Evelyn brough her food, but at least, now, she would get some sleep. 

****

Murphy was put to trial the day after the incidence. Dani, however, declined her invitation to attend and chose to stay by Grace’s side. She asked William to attend his hearing in her stead and to speak on her behalf should there be need to.

Murphy however, freely admitted his guilt, which made it straightforward for the elders of the community to sentence him to a lifelong banishment from the island.

He would be given a radio and the necessities to begin planting his won food sources. He would even be brought food and supplies when they were needed, but he would never be able to set foot back on the island as long as he lived.

He had asked the elders to let him be taken to Honolulu where he felt closest to his long dead family and previous military life, so Jackson and two other militia members escorted him to his new home the very next day.

It was all done quickly and with no resistance from either Murphy nor any of the community of Perseverance and Dani was relieved that the incident had not caused a rift between the two groups. She still would have preferred to have seen Murphy die for his crimes; the part of her that had been taught by Sarah to be ruthless in her dispensation of justice still wanted to pull a trigger on him. Thalia sadly assured her that this fate, to be surrounded by his terrible past until he died, would be worse than death for Murphy. And Dani, upon mulling it over, had to agree with her.

***

Evelyn and the two head engineers of Perseverance had made quick plans to clear the runway and have it ready within the allotted 7 days. What they hadn’t counted on was the torrential rain that had bucketed down over the last three, making the work slow and dangerous. The planes on the runway had invariably become hazardous scrap heaps. Their landing gear rusted in place, tyres deflated or degraded to the point where they were essentially useless. And the Tugs and aircraft tractors had been neglected for two decades and would need way more than a week to repair. So, the work became mostly manual.

During the storm, Hadrell went out with one or two volunteers and decided to move the smaller craft out of the way first. They threw long chains around the hull, scooped them under the wings for support and from there is was all muscle.

Hadrell could pull the smaller single engine crafts and a Cessna or two by himself, much to the amazement of everyone there. Evelyn grinned, knowing the enjoyment he would be getting out of testing his physical capabilities like this.

But when it came to moving the larger 747’s and the even larger Airbus, they had to bring in the two farming tractors, the two functional trucks on the island, and two F150’s. They anchored chains to the plane and slowly moved them off the runway, each craft taking approximately two hours to fully clear.

When the landing strip was clear, they needed to re-grade the surface, pull up the cracked and stripped patches of bitumen and make sure there was a flat, safe landing zone for the plane.

They had one functioning back-hoe, one functioning bulldozer and thankfully a not often used, but well-maintained Grader which was used to regrade the roads in the town every few years.

Hadrell managed to retrofit one of the tractors with a bucket from a loader and together, the three vehicles, slowly pulled up the tarmac, meter by meter until an entire strip, three clicks in length had been cleared.

The grader took two days in the soggy conditions, but by day six they had an acceptable runway finished. They just needed to get the lights working which Evelyn had a small crew of electricians working on and by the end of the day, they were ready to accept an incoming flight.

***

The entire group, Hadrell, Evelyn, and Dani spent most of the seventh day in Grace’s room talking quietly amongst themselves. Occasionally Hector or Thalia would drop by with food or drinks. They’d stay a while to chat, and eventually they’d leave the four alone again.

Doctor Guiria would pop in regularly to check on Grace and her wound, which to Dani’s eyes was healing slowly, but she had to keep reminding herself that it wasn’t necessarily slow, rather, normal ‘human’ pace due to the lack of nanites in Grace’s bloodstream. Her oxygen saturation was remaining steady at 92% and she was essentially stable.

They had inserted a feeding tube the same day they intubated her, and Dani made sure Grace received the liquid food source available to them several times a day. But still, he could tell that Grace was losing weight. Her increased Augment metabolism burning through what they gave her at a fast rate despite the lack of power source or exertion. But Perseverance didn’t have the nutrient dense, high calorie, high protein liquid that the base hospital stocked, so they gave her what they could.

Day eight came and with it the news that they’d been waiting for. Evelyn’s team at the base had completed the new power source and they’d stocked a carrier with the requested supplies, ready for departure from Arizona in the next few hours. They’d likely touch down on the island approximately 7 hours from now, contingent on safety checks and final Committee clearance.

Dani breathed a sigh of relief as the news came through. She griped Graces hand tightly and let tears of relief slide down her face.

****

That afternoon, Evelyn and Hadrell watched anxiously as the plane approached the new runway. They had no ability to watch it from satellite, and no radio capabilities until it was within visual range, but it was a textbook approach. The weather was on their side today with optimal conditions, a clear sky, next to no wind, and no rain approaching. The large craft lowered its landing gear and Hadrell smiled widely as it touchdown without incident.

He and Evelyn, along with Jackson and a second militia member went to the landing strip and met the cargo plane. The cargo door opened and Dr Yeo walked out first looking slightly worse for wear. 

“I’d forgotten what trips in carriers were like” She breathed in the fresh air, thankful to be on the ground again.

The three-person crew drove the fully loaded Humvee carrying a trailer of the requested items off the plane and quickly followed their friends to Perseverance.

They reached the small medical building in short time and jumped out. Dr Yeo giving quick orders to get the medical gear unloaded and unpacked.

Dr Guiria met the group at the entrance and stepped forward to introduced himself immediately and Dr Yeo shook his hand.

“Quite an accomplishment you have here doctor” she said with a more than a hint of appreciation as she took in the building as they made their way through the halls towards Grace’s room.

“We made do with what we had” He replied but appreciated to compliment, nonetheless.

As soon as Dr Yeo entered the room Dani jumped up and hugged the older woman, who returned it fondly.

“Susan, I don’t know how I can ever thank you” She squeezed the doctor tightly.

“It was mostly Evelyn’s team Dani. My work is ahead of me” she indicated to the bed and moved toward Grace. She pulled back the sheet and lifted the dressing over Graces abdomen. Nodding her approval. She inserted a small probe into Grace’s wrist and watched her stats come up on the portable monitor she carried with her.

Dr Guiria stepped closer to watch, still fascinated at the medical advancements that had gone on in the world outside of his.

“Okay, she’s stable so we’ll operate ASAP” Dr Yeo stated quickly. “But we’ll need to keep her ventilated until she’s strong enough to try to breath unassisted which I’m hoping will be within a day or so of the nanite infusion” she smiled and nodded toward the door as Specialist Romano moved inside.

Again, Dani spun around and smiled brightly at her friend, embracing the young medic. “Stephanie! It’s good to see you!”

“And you Commander” she nodded. “I’m sorry it had to be under such circumstances” she said earnestly and looked past the Commander and at her friend on the bed, sighing sadly over the reality that she was about to assist in yet another operation to help Grace through a life threatening injury. Her chest hurt for her friends, and she couldn’t imagine what Dani must be going through. But she took a breath and let her medical training take over for now. 

Dr Yeo went through her list of supplies quickly “We’ve brought the robot for the microchip extraction, a generous amount of general anaesthetic, a dozen units of donor blood, six units of nanite infusions, and close to fifty litres of ringers, most of the latter we’ll hopefully be able to leave behind for the medical team here, depending on how long it takes Grace to come off the ventilator. We’ve also brought a good supply of antibiotics and pain relief, the slow release type which will suit Grace better than the morphine she’s been having”

Dr Guiria nodded his appreciation and without words they began. Together the three of them wheeled Grace back into the operating theatre.

Dr Yeo took a moment to take in the space. She hadn’t been in a theatre like this since her days as a hospital resident before the war. It felt familiar, but in an odd way. No monitors like she was used to at the base. No robotics or modern equipment. Still, it would do for the job they needed to accomplish today.

Stephanie finished re-attaching Grace to the ventilator and she stood by the instrument tray, ready for the doctors’ instructions.

Dr Guiria stood opposite the two women, happy to observe the procedure and take in as much as he could.

“Okay, we’re putting her under now” She fed the general anaesthetic into the cannula and waited a few minutes. Grace’s pulse slowed slightly and her blood pressure dropped a little, but other than that her stats remained stable.

Dr Yeo worked efficiently. She cut deftly back into the recently healed skin, opening the wound back up again. She clamped it open and exposed the cradle with familiar hands. 

“Start the nanite bolus” she told Stephanie who quickly hung a small opaque bag along with the saline ringers solution.

“Power source” she held out her hand and Stephanie opened the small case containing the new core. She lifted it out gently, washed it with a quick saline rinse and handed it over to the doctor.

“Inserting the core now” she clicked it into place and waited to see if it had any immediate effect. She wasn’t expecting any but wanted to make sure Grace was stable before they closed her back up.

“Bring in the bot” Dr Yeo asked and immediately Evelyn entered with a small robot which she carefully positioned so that its extendable arm came up to support Grace’s head as they moved her further up the operating table.

“Commencing chip extraction” Evelyn said and punched a few buttons on her keypad. The bot extended a small laser cutter and a tiny set of forceps.

Dr Guiria watched in amazed horror as the robot slowly inserted itself into Graces brain and within thirty seconds had extracted what he assumed was the small microprocessor from her brain.

Evelyn changed out the extensions for sterile ones and opened a small case containing a new microprocessor. She inserted it into the small injection device and pressed a few more buttons before the arm extended again and seemingly inserted the new chip deep into Graces brain. The injector extracted, and the laser sealed the small wound.

Dr Yeo watched the power core again to make sure there was no immediate adverse reaction. Satisfied she closed the wound just as quickly as she had made it and snapped off her mask and gloves.

“And now we wait” she said confidently, then “I just wish we had a portable AC” she said wistfully.

Dr Guiria asked “What’s an AC?”

Dr Yeo turned to him and smiled. “Dr Guiria, come spend a few hours with me and I’ll catch you up on what’s been happening with medicine out on the base. I even brought a few new toys for you to start playing with”

Dr Guiria smiled brightly and followed the doctor out of the room.

Stephanie and Evelyn helped pack up the supplies and Dani walked into the OR to be by Grace again.

“The nanite infusion will take a few hours” Stephanie assured her. “But you’ll have to remember that when she wakes up, it’ll be like when she first woke up after becoming an Augment. She’s going to have to relearn her body. Remake those neural connections. It’ll take her a while before she’s back to being physically 100%. Her mind will remember what she’s capable of, but her body will take time to receive the signals from the new microprocessor” Stephanie smiled, knowing how impatient her friend could be, but also how determined.

Dani nodded in silent relief. She remembered visiting Grace in those early days quite clearly. Remembered her learning her capabilities, testing her boundaries. Except this time would be different. Grace already knew her capabilities, and she was no doubt going to be confused and frustrated by having to essentially re-programme her microprocessor again. But she was alive, and the power source was working, and that’s all Dani could ask for today.

They wheeled her back into the hospital room and Dani took her position again next to Grace’s side to wait. Stephanie took the seat opposite her, and Evelyn pulled a third next to Dani.

Hadrell was busy unloading the new supplies for the township and getting the small crew set up at the beach bungalows.

“It’s pretty here” Stephanie said quietly, but with a hint of excitement in her voice.

“It’s truly amazing” Dani said quickly with a smile. “they have the most wonderful natural landscapes here, it’s almost always warm and sunny, and the people here in Perseverance are awe inspiring, truly. They have around two thousand survivors on the island, and they’ve made it work beautifully” she smiled in true appreciation.

“You’re one to talk” came a voice from the door.

“Thalia!” Dani smiled brightly as the older woman entered. Evelyn gave the older woman her seat and Dani introduced her to Stephani.

“She’s a medic, like Grace used to be” Dani said proudly “A damn good medic, and if you ask me, a damn fine doctor should she chose it one day” Stephanie ducked her head at the compliment.

“Such a wealth of talent and knowledge here in this room” Thalia said earnestly looking at the group of women around her “It’s no wonder Prosperitas has become what it has if it’s people are anything like all of you”

“It certainly wasn’t easy Thalia” Dani acknowledged “But we try to make sure that everyone has a purpose, not just a job. Everyone contributes in some way, and if we can find a way for them to contribute by doing something they are good at, all the better” she smiled gently.

“I think somebody is oversimplifying things” Thalia said conspiratorially to the other two women and placed a gentle hand over Dani’s and squeezed it, laughing gently as Dani ducked her head.

Stephanie leant forward and spoke quietly to Dani. “Alicia piloted the plane here Commander, but we weren’t sure about how to proceed with another Augment on the island, so she went to the accommodation where you’ve all been staying. I hope that’s okay?”

Dani nodded easily “Thank you” then “I’m sure she’d like to see Grace and I’m sure her presence here will be fine, as long as she remains unarmed”

Stephanie nodded and smiled “I’ll let her know”

The room full of women talked easily through the afternoon and into the evening. Dr Yeo joined them briefly, and Dr Guiria paid regular visits to check on Grace. Food was brough in by Jackson and some of his crew, and everyone shared the meal happily.

Stephanie excused herself to go explore their new surroundings and Hector quickly asked Jackson to escort her and show her around until she was familiar with the area. Dani stopped herself from smiling as she watched the young, ever serious soldier become slightly tongue tied and awkward around her friend. He quickly nodded toward Hector, pulled the strap on his rifle a little tighter, and led Stephanie out of the building.

Serena joined them once she’d put Miles to bed, and they all sat around the room, taking about both of their communities, their similarities and their differences, what the new alliance might mean for them all.

There was a small lull in the conversation and Thalia took the opportunity to speak. “Tell me about her Dani” she nodded towards Grace whose hand Dani had not let go of the entire time.

Dr Guiria who was about to leave, took a spot by the door. Susan had explained some of the science to him during the afternoon, but he was particularly interested in Graces story.

Dani hesitated at first and then smiled “where to start” she laughed. “Well” she began “a scouting party I was leading back in 2025 found her when she was just seventeen in the ruins of an old sparking lot in Washington state. She lived in our Seattle Settlement for close to ten years during which time she became a science teacher, and then, eventually, an Army medic”

Thalia’s eyebrows raised.

Dani continued “Several years ago, she and I were both part of a recon team getting survivors to safety when Legion attacked us” she paused “Grace saved my life” she looked at her partner and blinked back her tears. “She almost died that day” she sighed sadly. “Evelyn” Dani looked at her friend “Can you explain the Augment program”

“Oui” she said quickly. “Not long after the Resistance was set up, we started experimenting with the new metals and microprocessors that the Rev’s, the machines, were build from. We discovered that we could make prosthetics and armour from some of the metals, and eventually we found a way to incorporate some of that technology into the human anatomy to enhance their abilities. If a soldier was mortally wounded during battle, they could volunteer for the Augmentation program, and we would try to save their lives by implanting Legion technology into their bodies, giving them a second chance”

“Why only soldiers who were mortally wounded?” Dr Guiria asked.

Dani answered this “the procedure alone is very dangerous with a high mortality rate. Their recovery and subsequent training is also dangerous and takes almost a year to fully complete. I didn’t want perfectly healthy soldiers volunteering to possibly kill themselves just to get some new enhancements”

The doctor nodded his understanding. During war, a fully functioning soldier was a valuable asset. He could only imagine the value of somebody like Grace and Hadrell.

Evelyn continued “Augments are stronger and faster, they have heightened senses, and can heal quicker than normal people, but of all that comes at a cost. The life of an Augment is one of great sacrifice” She said sadly, looking at her friend on the bed. “Not only in what they endure through the initial procedure, and dozens of subsequent surgeries, but the fact that they are stronger and faster means that, by default, they are often the first to get injured in battle. They have million of nanites, miniature bots in their bloodstream which help them heal quickly, but their bodies are never really fully healed after the procedure. Their Augments allow them to dampen what would be constant pain for you or I and their bodies constantly treat the machinery inside them like a virus so they need regular medication to keep their human bodies and their Legion Augments cooperating, especially after a battle or heavy exertion”

There was a silence in the room as everyone processed the information, the gentle hissing od the ventilator was the only sound for quite some time.

Dani stroked the back of Graces hand and continued “So, the day Grace almost died protecting me, she volunteered for the programme, and she survived the procedures” she spoke quickly “and now she’s the Captain of a Spec Ops team on the Base” Dani finished, a little uncomfortable talking about Grace with her so close by but unable to contribute.

Thalia smiled gently. “And you love each other” it was a statement, not a question.

Dani nodded “very much” she again wiped away the tears that fell, and Evelyn moved toward her friend and embraced her.

Thalia signalled the room to clear and she laid a comforting hand on Dani’s shoulder. “I have a feeling that a woman who went through all of that, will make her way back to you soon”

Dani nodded through the fresh tears that had suddenly sprung up in her eyes, and squeezed Thalia’s hand before the older woman left.

Evelyn manage to convince Dani to lay down in the cot for a while, promising to wake her if anything changed. She was asleep in minutes.

***

Dani woke early the next morning and the first sound she heard was the rhythmic hissing of the ventilator. She sighed and got up, freshened herself up, poured a cup of coffee, and then sent Evelyn to bed, thanking her for watching over Grace through the night.

She took her seat next to Grace and scooped her hand up, noticing its warmth and smiling at the welcome, but long absent, sensation.

Around midday Grace’s hand twitched in Dani’s, and her heart leapt. She called the doctor who performed a quick test on the intubation tube to see if removing it was the next course of action. He removed the feeding tube and told Dani that she might start coming around in the next several hours and he reduced the amount of sedative in the drip as they waited.

A few hours later Grace’s eyes fluttered open and she tried to fight the ventilator.

Dani was ready and grasped her hands. Telling her where she was, that everything was okay, to try to relax, she was ventilated and in hospital.

As soon as she heard Dani, Grace started to settle, but the she had to use a lot of effort to make her body relax and stop resisting the ventilator.

Dr Guiria immediately came to her other side and told her that he was going to do a quick test on her lungs, and he wanted her to try and take a breath, as much as she was able to.

She nodded and he shut off the valve, allowing Grace the ability to try and take a breath. Grace cringed as she tried to fill her lungs but her diaphragm sat like a rock in her stomach. Dani squeezed her hand in encouragement.

“One more time Grace. Nice and slow” He instructed.

The second attempt seemed easier for her and she drew in a half breath, so he pulled on his stethoscope and got her to inhale several more times smiling as each breath improved in volume, and also at the clear breath sounds he heard.

“Okay Grace, I need you to take a deep breath, and when I say, I want you to exhale as hard as you can and I’m going to take the tube out of your throat, okay?”

Grace nodded as much as she could, and Dani squeezed her hand tightly.

Dr Guiria lay the bed flat again, extended her neck, and grasped the cuff at the end of the tube.

“Okay Grace, big inhale”

Grace squeezed Dani’s hand and filled her lungs. As she pushed the air out, Dr Guiria easily slid the tube out of her throat. Grace coughed against the irritation and Dr Guiria lifted the end of the bed back up so she could breath easier.

He came back around and checked her breath sounds again, satisfied that there were no rattles or sound of congestion he smiled widely.

“Good to have you back with us Captain”

Grace nodded quietly and tried to settle the irritation in her throat. Dani handed her some water which she happily accepted.

“Nice to have you awake mi amor” Dani said with a smile. Kissing the back of Grace’s hand.

“Dani” Grace tried to speak but her throat protested, and her eyelids became heavy after the exertion.

“Try to rest Grace. I’ll explain everything to you when you wake up okay?” Dani said soothingly as she ran her fingers through Grace’s hair.

Grace nodded and lay her head back down on the pillow, her eyes fluttered closed and her body relaxed within minutes.

Again, Dani found herself wiping away tears, but this time they were tears of happiness. She watched Grace’s chest rise and fall easily and evenly and felt the warmth in her body. This was as close to _her_ Grace as she had been in over a week and the change was powerful.

Dr Yeo came in and ran a quick diagnostic scan while Grace slept. Assuring Dani that she was recovering well despite the lack of the Augment Chamber.

“You remember when we had to switch off her RD after she had sepsis. Just so that she could heal naturally” Dr Yeo queried.

Dani smiled and groaned at the same time but nodded. Grace had been a handful during the slow recovery process.

“Well this is going to be like that. Only this time, she’s going to need to go through a lot of reprogramming of her microprocessor and retraining her body to respond to it. She already knows what she needs her RD and her body to do, she just has to reprogram her microprocessor to do it all again. She has a lot of neural connections to remake. It will be a frustrating road ahead for her, but like I’ve said the last several times that she’s been laid up in a hospital bed, It’s practically a miracle she’s still here, so lets just appreciate that” Dr Yeo smiled gently and squeezed Dani’s hand.

Dani swallowed at the truth of Dr Yeo’s words _‘practically a miracle’_

Evelyn walked in carrying some food “I heard the good news!” She said and kissed her friend on the cheek before sitting down to share their meal.

“Dr Yeo says it’s going to be hard for her to begin with”

“Oui” Evelyn nodded. “But that’s why I’m here” she said with a grin and sat back, observing Grace.

“Thank you” Dani said in appreciation.

“Dani, you know I love Grace. Of course I’m here for her. For you both” she laughed quietly and quirked a brow “Plus, it’s technically my job. Getting Augments familiar with their new tech”

Dani again took a moment to appreciate the fact that she had such an amazing crew of people around her.

After an hour or so Grace’s eyes fluttered open again and Dani and Evelyn were immediately by her side. Dani let Evelyn take over because this is what she did.

“Grace, do you know who I am”

Grace nodded and croaked “Of course I do Eve”

Evelyn smiled. “Do you know where you are, specifically?”

“In a hospital, in Hawaii” she said a bit more clearly.

“Do you remember what happened to you?”

Grace took a moment and shook her head.

“Do you know what an Augment is Grace?”

Grace smiled in amusement “Is that a trick question Eve?”

Evelyn smiled back and continued “First thing you need to know is that your microprocessor and power source were neutralised during an accident. We’ve replaced them but we are going to need to do some reprogramming to get you back up and on your feet. Okay?”

Grace nodded.

Evelyn proceeded with her questions ‘What’s the last thing you remember”

Grace lay her head back and tried to think. She looked at her partner and smiled. “Taking Dani for a walk along the beach to a rockpool we found a few weeks after her fever broke”

Dani felt her stomach sink. That was over three weeks ago.

“Do you remember how you got sick, what you were doing”

Grace shook her head and winced as she felt the pain in her body start to take hold.

“Okay, that’s normal. Your memory should start to come back”

Dani remained silent, trying to process the fact that Grace didn’t remember their day at the lagoon, or her proposal. Grace squeezed Dani’s hand, bringing her back to the present and Dani saw the fine sheen of sweat that had broken out on her skin. The tremble in her hands. She leant closer to her partner “Grace. What’s your pain level?”

Grace blinked a few times and breathed slowly, trying to focus “8” she said quickly.

Dani looked worriedly at Evelyn who immediately attached a probe into Grace’s wrist.

“Okay Grace, I need you to remember what your microprocessor is capable of. Remember how you are able to dampen certain pain on command” she looked at her screen and watched Grace’s RD flicker to life.

“That’s it” she encouraged “access your microprocessor and see if you can turn off the neural response your body is having towards your pain”

Grace closed her eyes and tried to focus again. This used to be such an unconscious part of being an Augment for her that it was hard to recall how she had done it to begin with. But as she felt another surge of pain, she immediately acceded her RD and was able to command the microprocessor in her brain to ignore the neural input.

She let out a breath as the pain washed away and became a background annoyance rather than the tidal wave it was building up to.

Evelyn smiled at her display. Grace’s ability to access her microprocessor and control it so quickly was astounding. Just as it had been the first time she’d done it all those years ago.

Dani felt the vice around her chest loosen yet again as Grace lay back in the bed, seemingly pain free for the first time in over a week. Her jaw relaxed and her eyes clear as she lay her head back against the pillow.

Dani cupped her cheek and smiled. “I’m proud of you” she said and placed a soft kiss against her lips. 

Evelyn continued quickly, seeing Grace’s fatigue pull at her “I know you’re tired but it’s important for us to get your baselines recorded okay? So, I’m going to take you through a series of tests to see where you’re at physically” Grace nodded silently and Evelyn began assisting Grace to flex and extend her legs, to form a fist, lift her arms, pick up a pen and write. Simple movements but all of them an indication that Grace’s microprocessor was already ‘talking’ to her augmented body parts. 

“Okay, that’s enough for today I think” Evelyn wrote a few notes and Dani quickly squeezed Grace’s hand and followed her friend out of the room.

“Will she get her memory back Eve?” Dani asked hesitantly. She hadn’t told anyone about their engagement, so she tried not to seem too focused on that aspect of Grace’s recovery. But it was still important to her, for obvious reasons.

Evelyn shrugged her shoulders “It’s impossible to say Dani. The EMP took out her microprocessor, when the microprocessor went down, who knows how many neural connections went with it. Short term memory loss isn’t uncommon in new Augments, and it’s impossible to say how much, if any of it will come back” She grasped her friends’ shoulders. “But she knows who you are, and where she is, so that’s a big positive, it seems like she’s really only missing a few weeks”

Dani nodded. She should be happy. She was happy. But she was also afraid that Grace might not ever remember what had been one of the happiest moments of her life.

She went back into the room and Grace was still awake, staring at the ceiling.

“Hey beautiful” Dani said happily and sat by her side. Taking her hand again and kissing it

Grace smiled back at Dani “You should talk” Dani blushed, and Grace laughed lightly.

“Dani?” Grace asked after a moment

“Si mi amor”

“How long have I been in the hospital for?” Her brows furrowed.

“Just over a week my love”

“And how long before that was our walk on the beach?”

Dani felt he stomach drop a little “About two weeks before that” she said quietly.

Grace nodded quickly and let out a big breath “Oh! Okay, that’s not so bad. For a while there I thought I might have been missing a year or more” she grinned at Dani and Dani squeezed her hand but found it hard to return the enthusiasm.

“Dani? What’s wrong?”

Dani shook her head. “It’s just been an overwhelming week mi amor. I’m just so glad you’re awake” she wiped a tear way and tried to focus on Grace and push her sadness and her fear away, but she felt their unshifting presence nonetheless.

Dani quickly changed the subject to what had been happening over the last week, she skimmed over some of the details surrounding the accident, telling Grace simply that Murphy had set and EMP off out of revenge. She told Grace how most of their friends were now here on the island including Stephanie and Alicia. That Murphy had been banished to find a new home elsewhere on another island. That as soon as Grace was well enough, they’d start planning their departure for Arizona.

Grace listened quietly and felt herself drift off as her partner quietly spoke.

Dani watched Grace’s blue eyes close and she gently pulled the sheet back up around her and tucked her in. The cot at the end of the room called to her and she easily moved toward it and was asleep in minutes.

That night, she dreamt terrible dreams. Recalling every time she had held Grace as she lay dying. She saw the Grace from her past, and the Grace from her present, and they became the same person, falling to the ground over and over again as Dani watched helplessly, always a few seconds too late or a few meters too short to keep Grace safe.

She startled herself awake and breathed hard through the panic that griped her. She heard the steady hear monitor and knew that Grace was safe. But the fear she had always carried with her, that Grace would die for her and had already died for her, choked at her. She couldn’t breath and she knew she was in the midst of a panic attack. It had been a while since her last one but she remembered how to try and calm herself. She leant forward and forced a breath in through her nose. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, focusing on the feel of her body. She let her breath out through her mouth and repeated the process until her ears stopped ringing and her chest loosened. She was still shaking as she lay herself back down in the cot, but she kept focusing on her breath until thankfully, she drifted back to sleep.

When she woke in the morning, she remembered her dreams and she recalled Evelyn’s words _‘the life of an Augment is on of great sacrifice’_ and she had to leave Grace’s room, not wanting her to wake up and see the rising panic, or the fear and the guilt in her eyes.

***

For the next three weeks Grace spent hours every day doing rehabilitation exercises with Evelyn, William and Alicia. The former, helping her reprogram her microprocessor to what it used to be. The two latter, helping her body recover the strength and agility it once had.

Her recovery moved quickly as she drew from her early Augment training. She was able to configure her microprocessor to her needs again without having to go through the whole process as a brand new Augment. She didn’t need to be taught how to instruct her microprocessor to redirect her energy; which was the first step in recovering her Augment abilities. In addition, she knew what she wanted her RD to do, how she wanted it displayed, so with Evelyn assisting, she was able to reconfigure it in a matter of hours, this time without the blinding headache the first one cause her.

William and Alicia, being Augments themselves easily put Grace through physical challenges which would stretch and strengthen the new neural connections she was making between her microprocessor and her body.

Dani saw Grace’s frustration come out most during these sessions. Grace knew what her body had been capable of before the accident, and feeling it occasionally fail her expectations would often lead her into a string of expletives as her frustration spilled over. But she was usually able to channel that frustration so that he next time she tried the same task, or the time after that, she would succeed. 

Grace had left the hospital in Prosperitas after the first week and had chosen instead to recuperate with her friends at their beachside accommodation. Hadrell and Alicia had happily turned the resort grounds into a training arena of sorts. Swimming in, running on, jumping over, lifting, and pulling anything they could turn into a functional piece of exercise equipment.

And thanks in large to her three rehab partners, and her own innate persistent nature, Grace seemed almost completely physically healed by the third week, even without the presence of the Augment Chamber.

Dani had been a constant, but unusually quiet, presence through her recovery. Mostly watching and encouraging. Letting Evelyn and her two Augment friends take the lead. Dani knew this part of the recovery process was vitally important, so she took a back seat, trying to take comfort in the fact that Grace was by all accounts recovering well. And trying to dampen the sadness she felt that Grace still had not recovered her memory of their day spent at the lagoon, of her proposal.

At the same time, this near-death experience had shaken Dani. She had already accepted that a life with Grace meant that seeing her hurt or injured was inevitable. But this time, that familiar tendril of fear couldn’t be pushed away as easily, and almost every other night, she’d wake herself from a nightmare and have to settle herself quietly, not wanting Grace to ask her questions she wasn’t ready to answer.

She would hear Evelyn’s words from the hospital echo in her head repeatedly _‘the life of an augment is one of great sacrifice … they are never fully healed’_ realising that she had never properly acknowledged the reality that Grace lived with constant background pain. That each new injury, brough with it and new neural response for her augments to dampen. Seeing Grace in constant pain for days before she had her new microprocessor implanted had changed something inside Dani.

The latest incident had only happened because somebody wanted to strike out at her. Grace had never been used as a target against her before, it shook her to her core and she felt a much deeper need to protect her partner from further harm. Grace suddenly seemed more vulnerable to Dani, but she didn’t feel like she could share this new realisation with her super-soldier partner who viewed herself as anything but vulnerable.

Living through the immediate aftermath of the attack had left Dani wracked with guilt and a deep sorrow. She had never wanted Grace to have to suffer because of her, or somebody’s need hurt her through her partner. But somebody had. The incident had not only almost killed Grace, it had left her suffering and in pain for days, and it had taken a piece of her memory. And there had been absolutely nothing Dani could do about it.

As much as Dani tried to pull herself away from her dark musings, she kept returning to the one truth. That Grace had died several times over because she was a part of Dani’s life. She’d become an Augment protecting Dani. She would never have been in that first encounter with the Rev-9’s in the warehouse, nor at the final battel at the dam, had she not been an Augment. And she would never have been the victim of a malicious revenge attack if she hadn’t been with Dani at the time.

She loved Grace with everything she was, she’d accepted her proposal with all her heart. But it terrified her to think that Grace could once again be put in harms way simply because she was by Dani’s side.

The push and pull between her love for Grace and her fear were weighing heavily on her and over the course of the last three weeks, she’d progressively retreated from Grace. It was unconscious at first, but she’d recognised it the first time she quietly declined her lover’s romantic advances, feigning fatigue instead. And it sacred her. She didn’t want to push Grace away, but she didn’t know how to process, let alone articulate, her inner struggle.

She was still affectionate and caring with Grace, always quick to hold her hand, give her a kiss, or a hug, always encouraging her partner as she progressed through her recovery. But the better Grace got, the further Dani retreated. She avoided being alone with Grace, spending more time during the day with the township, putting energy into getting to know everyone she could. And in the evenings, instead of quiet meals together, she encouraged Grace to participate in nightly dinners with their small group of friends, staying up until either she or Grace fell into bed too exhausted to do anything but sleep.

At night, while they slept, Dani’s body would always unconsciously betray her and move into Grace’s familiar embrace, but in the mornings, she would either wake before Grace and busy herself with something in town or she would manoeuvre her way out of bed, claiming exhaustion, or a headache, or having to be somewhere to do something, or meet someone. She’d leave Grace with a quick kiss and the day would repeat. Grace caught up in her recovery efforts, and Dani caught up in trying to work through her emotions alone.

Every day, Dani could see the hurt and lack of understanding in her partners eyes, but she couldn’t bring herself to share her fears. Not yet anyway. And Grace never pushed Dani, assuming her partner would open up to her when she could, so, instead, she put her hurt and frustration into her training, pushing herself to get better faster, which of course, she did.

Dani took a deep breath and wiped away her quiet tears, trying to gather herself from her musing. She made her way to the deck of their bungalow where she silently watched her beautiful partner spar with Hadrell and Alicia on the beach. She looked on in appreciation at how fluidly and powerfully Grace’s body moved. Both bocking and throwing blows that would break normal bones. It literally took her breath away to watch her in motion like this and she felt the familiar curl of desire low in her belly as she watched Grace move; she had always loved her partners physicality, it stirred something inside her which was difficult to explain and harder to control. She bit her lip and swallowed against the surge of desire and watched in fascination as Grace continued to fight with William and Alicia.

After approximately fifteen minutes of brutal sparring, Grace had both of her friends flat on their backs on the sand. Dani smiled and raised her eyebrow in appreciation. She knew how physically powerful Grace could be, but she’d rarely watched her fight like this. Even weaponless, she was absolutely deadly, or would have been, had she not pulled her punches or let go of holds early.

Every Augment was deadly, of course, that was why they were built. But Grace had an edge to her that made her just a little quicker, just a little more precise, a little more focused. She didn’t have the physical strength William did, but that had never been a disadvantage for her. She and Alicia were physically matched, but Grace was a better fighter, had better technique, and was lightening fast.

Dani smiled as the look of fierce concentration on Grace’s beautiful face quickly switched to one of victory and comradery as she flopped onto the sandy ground with her friends and they all caught their breath together. Going over the fight, playfully digging each other for their perceived weaknesses.

Evelyn came up beside Dani and smiled as she watched the three soldiers relax. She looked at Dani and notice not for the first time the deep sadness behind her eyes, her guarded expression and unusual quiet. She remembered how Dani had changed last year when she thought Grace had died at the dam, and she’d been observing some similarities now, since Grace had woken up.

She handed Dani a glass of wine and pulled her down onto one of the comfortable deckchairs. They’d been close friends for over 20 years and occasional lover for most of that time until Dani had met Grace. Evelyn didn’t need to ask Dani if something was wrong, she could sense it. Had been sensing it for the last couple of weeks. 

“Talk to me” Evelyn said simply.

Dani sighed and took a sip of the wine. She looked back at Grace laying on the beach and then at Evelyn. Her closest friend’s invitation to speak had been exactly what she had unknowingly needed.

“I don’t want her dying because of me Eve” she said quickly, tears in her eyes.

Evelyn knew that Dani wasn’t just taking about the most recent incident, she was talking abut all of them, and any that potentially lay ahead.

She sat quietly, trying to find the right words, she reached out and grasped Dani’s hand.

“What you and Grace have is rare and special Dani” she said honestly. “None of us know what’s going to happen tomorrow, but you do know that your love is real and it is powerful” she smiled and Dani’s sad eyes returned it quietly.

Dani nodded with a slight smile “I promised myself almost 24 years ago that I wouldn’t let her die for me, not again. And it seems that no matter how hard I try, how safe I think we finally are, it keeps happening” she angrily swiped at her tears “I know it doesn’t make sense, but I feel that the longer she stays with me, the less time we have together” She looked up at her friend, pain and fear clear in her eyes. “I feel horribly selfish because I want a life with her Eve. But shouldn’t I want her to be safe above all else?”

Again, Evelyn paused, trying to understand what Dani was feeling.

“Grace deserves a choice in this too Dani. And I know that she would choose to be with you over any real or imagined danger that could mean” she said honestly. “Dani. You can plan all you want, you can manoeuvre and try to bargain your way onto what you think might be a safer path for you both, but I can guarantee you, it won’t be the right one. Not if means you aren’t together” she squeezed Dani’s hand again

“You and Grace belong together, it’s just that simple. That obvious. And if you let fear of the unknown get in the way of that, then you’re not the Dani I know” She looked into Dani’s eyes earnestly.

Dani let her head fall and let her tears flow again. Evelyn was right. She had been letting fear plant dangerous seeds in her head for years. And each time Grace was injured, those fears grew stronger, suffocating her. The woman laying on the beach in front of her was her life, and her future. Even before Grace had proposed, Dani knew that she had had wanted a life together, along with everything that entailed, wanted it with every fibre of her being.

She smiled lightly up at her friend and wiped away her tears again “How do you know so much about this Eve?” she said lightly.

“I’m French” she replied matter-of-factly, the side of her mouth lifted, and she laughed gently.

Dani laughed in return and embraced her friend. Her heart feeling lighter than it had in weeks.

They lay back in their lounges and watched the group of friends pick themselves back up and begin to spar again. The second round ending much the same as the first had, except this time William and Alicia rewarded Grace by picking her up and throwing her playfully into the ocean before joining Dani and Evelyn on the deck of a glass of wine.

Grace trotted up to the bungalow with a grin on her face and Dani met her at the stairs with a gentle kiss, a towel, and a glass of wine. Grace felt her pulse quicken as she returned the kiss. She looked into Dani’s dark eyes and they were no longer shuddered or sad. Something had changed and she had a feeling that Evelyn had somehow had a role to play in that. She took the glass of wine and towelled herself off happily.

Later that night, Dani took Graces hand and excused them from their usual group dinner early. She took Grace to their bedroom and pulled her into an embrace, drawing her head down for a kiss that immediately connected and awoke them both.

Graces arms wrapped around Dani and pulled her in tighter. Dani cupped Grace’s face and pulled back to look her in the eyes.

“I’m sorry I’ve not been myself mi amor” she said honestly as she started to pull Graces shirt off her shoulders.

Grace pulled Dani’s shirt over her head and brought her back in close, sighing at the intentional and deliberate skin contact she’d been craving.

“I’ve missed this” she whispered and kissed her partner again “I’ve missed you” she said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

Dani pulled back and caught Grace’s eyes and held them “I can’t express how sorry I am that I hurt you Grace” she placed a soft kiss on her lips “and I will tell you about what’s been going on in my head” she smiled “later, I promise” she kissed Graces lips softly again and looked her in the eyes “ but right now, I’d really like to make love to you?” she tilted her head in question and Grace’s face broke out in a smile.

Dani quickly unbuttoned Grace’s pants and Grace did the same with Dani’s, laughing together as they got tangled up in each other while trying to pull off each other’s clothing.

Dani gently pushed Grace back. Her legs were held together by the pants still wrapped around her ankles, so she tripped and fell back onto the bed.

Dani laughed and finished pulling off her own pants and underwear. She approached the bed and freed Grace from hers and Grace pulled herself further up the bed. Propping herself up on her elbows, waiting for Dani to join her.

Dani took a moment to take her partner in. She crawled onto the bed, straddled Grace’s hips and ran her hands along her stomach, up her ribcage, gliding smoothly over her breasts and shoulders. Stopping when she was cupping Grace’s face between her hands.

She pulled softly and Grace sat up, wrapping her arms around Dani’s body, tucking her head into the crook of Dani’s neck, one of the places she loved most. She inhaled deeply and placed gentle kisses against Dani’s tender pulse point.

Dani sighed as Grace’s body met hers. She drew one hand through her hair to the back of her head and the other across her broad shoulders, pulling her in tightly. She relaxed into the familiar feel of the strong body in her arms and the familiar scent that made her feel almost instantly at peace.

They held each other silently for long minutes, reconnecting without words.

Dani eventually let out a shaky breath and tried to discretely wipe away the tears that had spilled from her eyes. Grace pulled back and tenderly swept them away with her thumbs and then with her lips.

Dani turned her face and caught Grace’s next kiss with her own lips and they sighed together as the kiss deepened.

Dani kept one arm draped across Grace’s back while she let the other trail back along her lovers face, down her strong neck, stopping at her breast, squeezing the soft flesh in her hand, rubbing her thumb across the already tight nipple.

Grace let out a soft moan and Dani moved her hand lower. Along the firm muscles of Grace’s abdomen until the came to the thatch of curls and slowly dipped her fingers lower, finding Grace’s soft folds already silky and wet. She let out a moan of her own and broke the kiss to catch her breath.

Grace rocked into Dani’s familiar fingers and brought her own hand between them to find Dani equally as wet and receptive.

They sat, entwined, breathing quickly as they stroked each other tenderly at first, but the weeks apart had left them both wanting, and it wasn’t long before they were both writhing together, kissing and panting and rocking against each other. Dani gently pushed Grace onto the bed and entered her quickly. Capturing a nipple with her mouth and sucking deeply.

Grace arched into the contact and let her own fingers slide inside her lover.

Dani immediately began to tremble but held her orgasm at bay until she felt Grace’s stomach tighten under her. She let go of her nipple and latched back onto her mouth as the two lovers continued to move together.

Dani gasped and let her orgasm take hold, but remained connected to her lover, breathing through the kiss as each wave washed through her.

Grace broke the kiss momentarily as her orgasm started, causing her to arch back hard, moaning as her body started shake with release. But her hungry mouth found Dani’s again and kissed her roughly as her body shook through its’ release.

The two women held each other firmly as they rode out the waves of pleasure together. They came back down still locked against each other, placing soft kisses on lips and necks, breathing hard through aftershocks, but never letting go.

They made love long into the night. Sometimes slowly, and tenderly, sometimes quickly and roughly. Each woman desperately feeling the need to reconnect with the other. There were tears and there was laughter, but mostly there were tender expressions of love.

They slept well into the next morning. And when Grace’s wandering hands began to explore Dani’s warm, sleepy body again, Dani moved into her touch, allowing Grace to set free her desire and her hunger again, allowing her own to match it. The renewed connection sweeping them both away in a wonderful bliss filled haze until they emerged late in the evening to warm knowing looks and a much-needed dinner prepared by their friends.

Dani looked pointedly at Evelyn and smiled. Silently thanking her for her counsel the day before. Evelyn smiled back and raised her glass.

The world suddenly seemed right again.

***

The next morning Grace woke to find Dani already awake, staring at the ceiling.

She moved herself closer to her and wrapped her arm around Dani’s waist. Drawing her close and placing a kiss against her soft neck.

“What are you thinking?” she asked quietly.

Dani stretched and sighed “I was thinking about how I don’t want to leave this place” she smiled and turned to her partner. Kissing her gently.

Grace let out a breath and smiled “me either”

“But we have to” Dani said quietly, not a question but a resigned statement.

Grace nodded silently.

Dani sighed and rolled back, staring at the wall “I’ll radio Base and tell them we’ll fly back in the C5 in two days”

“we can come back though” Grace said gently and cupped Dani’s cheek, running her thumb gently over the soft skin and Dani nodded quickly, smiling and kissing the inside of Grace’s palm.

They began the day with their long-missed shower routine. Appreciating their renewed connection through soapy ministrations until the water started to cool.

Grace towelled Dani off and told her that she wanted to accompany Dani into town today to start saying goodbye.

After a quick breakfast they rounded up Evelyn, William, Susan, Stephanie and Alicia to advise them of the planned return trip in two days and everyone decided that they wanted to spend the day in the town finalising things as well. So, the seven friends all awkwardly climbed into or on top of the jeep and headed to the town for the day. Dividing up quickly as they parked, agreeing to meet back at the vehicle at 6pm.

Stephanie and Dr Yeo wanted to finish their itinerary of the medical facilities, and make sure Dr Guiria hadn’t forgotten anything. They also agreed between them that they’d leave their surplus medical supplies with him, only taking back the Augment specific equipment and medication and a standard first aid kit.

Evelyn wanted to take one last pass over the engineering facilities, the solar fields, and the hydroelectric equipment, ensuring her list for the next supply run was as complete as possible.

Grace, Alicia and William wanted to spend the day with Jackson and the small militia who acted as the protectors of the island, even though it had not needed an army, or protection of any sort, in over a decade. They wanted to continue fostering trust and camaraderie between themselves and the small group, knowing that eventually, Prosperitas would be restocking this groups cache of weapons, and that potentially any of the young men and women of Perseverance who wished to join them on the mainland as part of the military would be welcome to do so.

Dani had finished her official ambassadorial duties weeks ago, and simply wanted to start saying her goodbyes to the town, especially Hector, Thalia, and Serena to whom she’d become particularly close to.

Before they drove back that evening, Thalia invited them to all join the town for a farewell dinner the next evening in the hall, and the group eagerly agreed. The now weary group all piled into the vehicle except for Stephanie, who smiled and ducked her head, taking Jackson’s hand and said that she’d see them all in the morning.

Everyone playfully ribbed them and bid the new couple a good night before heading off to the beach.

“I didn’t see that coming” William exclaimed as they pulled away.

Dani and Dr Yeo exchanged smiles but didn’t say anything. They’d watched the young medic and Jackson interact while Grace had been in the hospital. His interest in Stephanie clearly apparent from the start. Dani was glad they had forged a connection, but she would need to speak with the Specialist before their departure about her future intentions.

The island would benefit tremendously from her skills should she decided she wanted to stay, but she had to admit that she would miss the young medic if that’s what she chose.

The group shared a loud and enthusiastic dinner together but cut it short so that they could begin the process packing their belongings. They agreed to unpack and disarm the Yacht tomorrow, leaving it and the helicopter on the island for the town to use until they returned. They’d all depart early the morning after via the next the large aircraft. 

Dani flopped into bed in just her underwear after packing most of her belongings. She felt sad and frustrated to be leaving, but also nervous and excited to be going back to Arizona. They’d already been gone for far longer than planned because of her accident and Grace’s recovery, but she really didn’t feel any great urgency to leave. She knew that there would be a lot of work waiting for her when she returned, and the Committee was already forging ahead with contact they’d made with three more settlements, two in Mexico and one in Canada. She breathed out a big breath as she imagined what each of those new encounters would entail, and how long each of them might take.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her lover’s gentle embrace and she quickly came back to the present. 

“Mmmm” she sighed as Grace’s strong arms pulled her close and held her tight.

“So” Grace kissed her softly. “Two more nights?” she smiled and kissed her again.

Dani laughed and shifted her body to let Grace move on top of her.

“Do you have any plans for tomorrow?” Grace asked quietly and kissed her in the most distracting way, sucking Gently on the tender pulse point on her neck that almost always made her weak at the knees.

“uh-uh” Dani shook her head but couldn’t form words as Grace undid her bra and began nuzzling her breasts. Pulling her nipples into her mouth one at a time until they were hard and erect.

“Good” Grace replied. “I’d like us to spend it together” she said and snaked her body down Dani’s, pulling her underwear off as she did.

Dani gasped and arched as Grace’s warm mouth closed over her sensitive centre. She pushed her head back and moaned again as she felt herself being entered by two long fingers.

Grace kept one hand over Dani’s breast and continued to squeeze and massage the sensitive flesh. Rolling her nipple between her long fingers.

“Grace” Dani gasped as he felt her clit being pulled inside her lovers’ mouth. Grace’s tongue moving over it softy and knowingly.

Grace felt Dani’s legs begin to shake and brought her right up to the brink and held her there with slow strokes of both her fingers and her tongue.

Dani stopped breathing as the knot low in her belly threatened to burst. She locked eyes with Grace as her body shook with its impending release.

Grace pulled hard on Dani’s clit, maintaining eye contact with her until Dani’s head dropped back and she arched hard off the bed and into the first powerful contraction of her orgasm.

Dani grasped Grace’s hand tightly and used her as an anchor as she lost all sensation and control over her body.

Grace stayed where she was. Placing soft kisses on the inside of Dani’s trembling thighs. Feeling her fingers get wrapped up tighter by Dani’s inner walls. She waited long moments until the grip Dani had on her hand loosened slightly and she slowly caught her breath.

Dani reached down and called Grace up with a gentle touch to her face, and Grace eagerly obliged. Laying her body over Dani’s, letting her lover use her bodyweight to help calm her over-sensitised body.

Dani caught her breath slowly, enjoying the aftershocks running through her and the feel and scent of Grace over her. She brought her arms around her lover and ran her hands over her back, feeling Grace’s strong muscles shift under her fingers.

She tilted her hip and pushed, rolling her body on top of Grace’s.

“ _te quiero_ ” she whispered and nuzzled into Grace’s long neck as she snaked her arm between them, revelling in her partners soft pleasure filled moans as she found her wet centre and dipped inside.

Dani bit down softly on Grace’s strong chorded neck and Grace groaned her appreciation, pushing her head back further to give her lover more access.

Dani continued stroking with her fingers and moved her mouth to Grace’s collarbone, finding the sensitive dip which she again bit into, causing Grace to arch into her touch further. Dani used her thumb to rub against Grace’s clit and received another moan and a shuddered breath as her lover began to breath heavily.

Dani latched onto one of Grace’s nipples and bit down gently.

“Dani” Grace breathed and wove her fingers through Dani’s hair as Dani latched onto the other, and again, bit down causing Grace to moan again.

She kissed her lovers’ now trembling stomach and reached her left hipbone. Finding the sensitive hollow just below it where she sucked and nipped until Grace panted her name over and over again.

Dani pumped her fingers faster and applied more pressure through her thumb onto Graces clit.

She bit gently down on the sensitive skin just below Graces hipbone and within moments her long legs became taught as her body tipped over into the first waves of her orgasm.

Dani moved further down and latched onto Grace’s clit with her mouth. She added a third finger to Graces centre and doubled her ministrations, drawing a second orgasm out of her lover as she was still riding through her first.

She didn’t wait for Grace to come back down, she wanted to feel Grace’s body move beneath her, so she pulled herself back up and lay against her slick skin, revelling in the twitching and trembling muscles under her. She held Grace tightly and lay her head against her chest, again, revelling in the sound of Grace’s rapidly beating heart, listening to it slowly return to normal. And as it did, Grace’s arms came back up around her and held her firmly.

Dani sighed in absolute contentment. Graces practiced hands traced delicate patterns across her back and ran through her hair until she felt herself become heavy with sleep. Grace rolled herself onto her side, and guided Dani onto the mattress. She lay her arm across Dani’s waist, and placed her leg over one of Dani’s, settling them both.

“te quiero” Grace whispered to Dani as she drifted off to sleep.

***

The next morning Grace woke and prepared a light breakfast for them both. The smell of the brewing coffee and cooking food drawing her partner out of bed. Dani wrapped Grace up from behind and kissed her between her shoulder blades.

Grace turned in the embrace and kissed her lover back, handing Dani the greatly appreciated coffee and sitting them down for breakfast.

“Where are we going” Dani asked between a mouthful of food.

“It’s a surprise” Grace smiled and sipped her coffee.

Dani grinned back and nodded. Happy to let Grace take the reigns for the day.

Grace quickly packed a small pack and made sure Dani was wearing comfortable clothing and appropriate footwear for the day. She opened the passenger side door of the Jeep and smiled as Dani happily jumped in. She waited for Evelyn, Hadrell and Alicia to join them and headed off into town where she dropped off their friends and continued to drive past the farmlands and into heavy overgrowth. They drove for close to half an hour before Grace pulled over and jumped out and pulled on the backpack.

Dani looked around her and quirked a brow at her partner.

“A hike?” Dani said in a dubious tone.

“Trust me” Grace replied with a smirk.

It was a hot day, and Dani would have much preferred to stay in their bungalow making love on their last day here than to go hiking through the dense forest. But the look on Grace’s face made her smile and take her lovers hand.

Grace grinned and led them into the rainforest.

The two trekked easily for over an hour before Dani needed a rest.

“you really aren’t going to tell me?” Dani said around gulps of water.

Grace just shook her head and drank from her own bottle.

“It’s not long from here” she said and held out her hand, helping Dani up and trotting ahead.

Dani smiled indulgently and quickly followed her partner.

She did a quick self-assessment on herself and nodded. It felt good to test her body like this again and she was surprised that it was being so cooperative after such a long period of rest and recuperation.

She knew Grace, or any Augment for that matter, could move much faster and for much longer than she ever could, but nonetheless she had always prided herself in her own physical capabilities. Learning very early on during her tutelage under Sarah that staying strong and fit could mean the difference between life and death in a war.

Sarah had always pushed her physically. Made her train hard and for long hours under some of the most efficient and deadly ex-soldiers she had ever met. And, as a result, despite her small stature, the Commander had always been able to hold her own whether it was in combat, during drills, or on a 10 click hump in full gear.

Except for the team of Augments, Dani always expected the same physical capabilities of herself as she did with her soldiers, and she prided herself in showing new recruits, especially those physically bigger than her, that the Commander could still lay them flat on their backs if they weren’t paying attention.

She smiled as she felt her muscles and lungs burn with the exertion. It felt good to push herself again and it felt even better when her body did what she asked of it and kept pace with Grace’s strides.

She was so wrapped up in her musings that she almost ran into Grace as her partner stopped unexpectedly.

Dani suddenly looked around her and paid attention to her surroundings, something that was usually second nature to her, except when she was with Grace.

She heard the rush of a waterfall and smiled happily at the thought of cooling off in a rockpool or waterhole.

Grace reached back and held her hand as they stepped into the clearing. Dani took in a quick breath.

“Grace?” she asked quietly and looked up at her partner in question.

Grace squeezed her hand and smiled back down at Dani, her eyes unreadable.

Dani took a few steps forward and tears sprung up in her eyes as she took in the familiar lagoon with the shallow sandy shore at one end, and the waterfall and rock wall at the other. Grace had brought them here via a completely different path and Dani had been so turned around and caught up in her own thoughts that she hadn’t even considered their destination.

She gasped “Do you rememb….. “ Dani spun around and stopped mid-sentence.

Grace had lowered herself onto one knee and was holding out a small platinum ring. Her eyes were bright blue from the unshed tears in them, and her gentle, almost shy smile almost burst Dani’s heart.

“I remember” Grace said shakily but her smile brightened “and I remember your answer”

Dani’s hands went to her mouth and she closed the small distance between them. She dropped to her knees on the sandy ground in front of her lover and pulled her into a tight embrace, tears running down her face.

Grace’s arms were immediately around her and they knelt silently for long minutes as Dani cried happy, relieved, tears.

Grace buried her face in the crook of Dani’s neck and placed soft kisses against her skin until she felt Dani settle herself.

“When?” Dani croaked and sat back on her heels, cupping Grace’s face as she always did when she wanted to connect with her lover.

Grace brushed away her own tears and let out a breath “A few days ago” she smiled and kissed the inside of one of Dani’s hands. She took Dani’s left hand and held it for a moment, bowing her head, not knowing what to say.

Dani felt the uncertainty rolling off her beautiful partner and squeezed the hand holding hers, getting Grace to look at her.

“The answer is still yes Grace” Dani spoke quietly with a smile on her face, and Grace laughed her relief.

She placed the ring around Dani’s ring finger and lowered her head to meet Dani’s lips. Dani sighed into the kiss and deepened it. She held her lover tightly, one had entwined in her hair, the other firmly across her broad shoulders.

“How?” Dani asked as she held open her fingers and looked at the ring.

“I had Jackson and some of his team help me find one in the ruins of the old city yesterday” Grace said proudly “You’d be surprised what still there Dani” she said with a touch of awe.

Dani looked at the ring again and instantly loved it. It was understated, and simple, and beautiful, and exactly what she would have picked if it had been her shopping for her partner. A simple platinum band with a small round diamond set into it.

She pulled away and sat back down on her heels. She paused, wanting to begin this new phase of their life together with total honesty.

“Grace” she started “I want to tell you what was going on, before” she said with more than a touch of guild in her voice.

Grace shook her head and cupped her face and kissed her again “later” she said gently and held Dani’s gaze.

Dani acquiesced with a simple nod and Grace smiled, pulling them both to their feet.

They made their way to the warm sandy bank and Grace opened her pack and laid out a towel. Dani quietly watched her partner for a moment, and as memories of the last time they were here flew past her she bit her lip and pulled on the waistband of Grace’s shorts, tossing her med-gun and holster onto the towel as she playfully pulled them toward the water.

“Dani!” Grace said in a surprised tone, letting her lover pull her. Dani had an air of purpose and urgency about her and she and quickly kicked off her shoes as Dani did the same. Grace had just managed to strip off her shorts and t-shirt before Dani pulled her into the water, wrapping her up in a wet embrace and devoured her mouth.

The warm water felt divine and the two waded deeper into it as they kissed, reaching the start of the rock wall before they knew it.

Grace pushed Dani gently against the wall and held her in place as they continued to explore with their mouths. Small gasps and pleasure filled moans escaping as their desire for each other quickly escalated.

Dani pulled back for a moment and took her lover in. She was naked except for her underwear, her blonde hair wet and dishevelled, her eyes as blue as she had ever seen them. Dani let out the breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding and tenderly embraced her.

“I love you Grace” she said earnestly “so much it scares me sometimes” she pulled back and smiled, placing a soft kiss on her lips before pulling her close again.

Grace closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of Dani against her. She’d been feeling nervous and on edge all morning, and after the last few weeks she wasn’t sure what Dani’s reaction to today would be, but she had listened to her heart and it had been right.

Her memories had come rushing back to her the day before Dani had reached out and reconnected with her. During her training session the day before, Alicia had delivered a particularly vicious kick to her head which Grace would normally have blocked, but instead a quick flash of the waterfall flew past her eyes and the kick landed where it was intended. Sending her sailing into the air and landing heavily on the sand. She must have blacked out for a second because when she next opened her eyes, Hadrell and Alicia were above her helping her up, and she had all of her memories of the last month back. She felt ill when she realised that their day at the lagoon and her proposal had been erased for all those weeks, and she immediately wanted to go to Dani, but her partner had been increasingly distant and had obviously been avoiding her so Grace wasn’t sure that springing the news on Dani while she was so withdrawn was the best idea. She had intended on speaking to Evelyn about it the next day, but the next day Dani had chosen to let go of whatever it had been that had made her so distant, and had chosen instead to reconnect with Grace, to reassure her that she loved her. And in turn Grace decided that she would attempt to recreate her proposal at the lagoon, to rewrite some of the horrible memories Dani must have carried with her from what had been such a special day together.

She immediately came back from her musings as Dani’s soft fingers reached down and found one of her breasts. She closed her eyes as Dani rubbed the soft skin and squeezed her tender nipple. Dani bit gently into the skin against Grace’s neck and Grace let out a low moan of appreciation and her hips pressed into her lover. Dani moved her mouth to Graces collarbone and Grace shuddered, pressing more firmly against Dani’s warm body.

Grace slipped her fingers past the waistband of Dani’s underwear and entered her smoothly, eliciting a grateful sigh. She began to move her fingers in and out of her lovers’ tight centre and Dani dug her fingers into Grace’s back as she tilted her head back in appreciation. Grace took advantage of Dani’s exposed neck and latched onto the familiar pulse point, nipping and sucking gently until Dani was trembling in her arms.

She pulled back and caught Dani’s eyes. Watching as they darkened, and her face flushed with each thrust of her arm. Her mouth opened in a silent moan and her eyes fluttered closed just as Grace’s fingers tipped her over the edge. Dani’s head dropped to Grace’s shoulder as her body became boneless and shook through her orgasm for long moments.

Grace’s nostrils flared at the sight and sound of Dani in rapture and she quickly wrapped both arms around her and moved them back toward the bank and the towel. She lay Dani’s still quivering body down and slid down, pulling her underwear off and drawing her legs over her broad shoulders before pulling herself back up and onto her heels, pulling Dani with her and picking the lower half of her body off the ground as she brought Dani’s centre to her mouth. Hungrily kissing and sucking at her sensitive wet folds. She held Dani’s trembling body in place against her with one arm around her hips and lower belly. The other, she trailed down and grasped Dani’s nipple just as she latched onto her clit.

“uuuughhhhhh” Dani moaned incoherently as her body jerked at the almost electric contact.

Grace circles Dani’s clit with her tongue, and rolled her nipple between her fingers, waiting for the tell-tale signs, and sure enough, withing moments, Dani’s legs began to tremble, and her breaths came out in short sharp pants. Grace pulled hard on Dani’s clit and Dani screamed out her release, her body writhing in pleasure as she all but hung against Grace’s long body.

Grace kept stroking Dani’s wet folds with a soft tongue as Dani caught her breath. She eventually stopped twitching through her aftershocks and sighed a very content sigh.

Grace smiled and kissed the inside of her lovers’ thighs tenderly. She lowered Dani’s body back to the ground and placed hers on top of it.

Dani was still trying to calm her racing heart and couldn’t speak properly yet, but she smiled back at her grinning lover and laughed.

“fuck” she breathed and pulled Grace to her, kissing her deeply. She went to run her hands down Grace’s smooth skin but the sand under her hands made her shake her head through the kiss.

“water” she breathed quickly around the kiss and tried to stand up, her legs trembled and almost gave way as she did, so Grace scooped her up and led them back into the warm water.

She quickly washed the sand off their bodies and backed Grace up to the spot in the lagoon where the bank began to descend and the water deepened. She gently pushed Grace onto her knees in the slightly deeper end and she dropped to her own, smiling as they became almost level with each other in the still relatively shallow water.

Dani drew Grace to her again and kissed her deeply, this time her sand free hands were able to run along the long planes of Grace’s smooth, muscled body and she moaned her appreciation. She trailed her hands down Graces back and cupped her firm ass, feeling it clench as Grace’s hips pushed into her. Dani smiled around the kiss and brought one hand up behind Grace’s head and the other she slipped though Graces slick folds and into her tight centre with three quick fingers.

Grace gasped though the kiss and held Dani firmly as her hips matched Dani’s strong rough thrusts.

Dani wrapped her fingers though Graces hair and pulled as her blood surged. She kept her lips locked with Graces and they kissed roughly as Grace began to pant through each thrust of Dani’s fingers.

Dani tore her lips away and sunk her teeth gently into the large muscle at the base of Grace’s neck.

“fuck!” Grace moaned and dropped her head, she continued to pant quickly as Dani’s fingers pumped quickly until eventually her body went ridged in Dani’s arms, and she held her breath.

Dani groaned as she felt her lover neared her release, she kept her fingers working inside her lover for a few more seconds before Grace jerked and fell forward, gasping as her climax took over.

Grace kept Dani held tightly with one hand and planted the other against the sandy bank as her body rocked through the orgasm. The water was shallow enough for Dani to sit back in the water and let Grace lean into her. Grace latched back onto her lips again and shook through each aftershock. Grace groaned long and low as her orgasm subsided, and Dani reacted primally, needing to hear her make those sound again.

She gently pulled Grace onto shaky feet, keeping their lips locked together, she guided them back to the towel, and just as her lover had done to her moments before, she quickly slid down Graces body, removed her wet underwear and dragged her tongue through her slick folds. Grace arched up into the contact and continued to moan wordlessly. She entered her again swiftly, this time with four fingers, and Grace almost arched completely off the towel as her body reacted to the unexpected jolt of pleasure. Dani sucked harshly on Grace’s clit and kept stroking her lovers’ centre almost roughly. It wouldn’t take Grace long in the state she was in and Dani bore into her faster and harder, bringing her lover crashing into another orgasm within moments.

Dani kept her fingers inside her lover but climbed up her trembling body. Wanting to hear every sound she made, wanting to feel her strong muscles quiver and contract underneath her and around her. She kissed the skin on Graces chest as she lay her head down and listened to her soft moans and her hammering heart. She brought her free hand up and lay it against Grace’s chest, catching the sun bounce off the new ring on her finger and smiling quietly at the perfect afternoon they’d just shared.

As Grace breathed through the last of her aftershocks, Dani gently removed her fingers and propped herself up against her lovers’ chest, taking in her dishevelled hair, her flushed face, and her deep blue but still unfocused eyes. She felt a swell of love wash over her and tears sting the back of her eyes, so she ducked her head and placed gentle kisses along Graces’ neck until she blinked them away.

Grace’s arms came around Dani finally and Dani smiled again and the unspoken signal that Grace had come back to her body. She propped herself back up and caught her lovers’ bright blue eyes.

Grace smiled and then laughed at Dani’s wildly tousled hair and the image the two of them made in her mind’s eyes. She leant up and caught Dani’s lips.

“I love you” she whispered almost reverently.

“I love you” Dani smiled back through the kiss.

Grace dropped her head back to the ground and let her arms fall to her sides.

Dani groaned and let herself roll off her lover and onto her back as well.

The two smiling at each other and grasped hands. Grace picked up their hands and he smile broadened as she caught the ring on Dani’s finger, and Dani felt her heart burst at the look of happiness on her lovers’ face.

Until Grace, she hadn’t known it was possible to love somebody like this. To feel an actual physical wonderful ache in your chest when you looked at your lover and they looked back at you with nothing but love, or happiness or adoration, or lust in their eyes. But now that she had that with Grace, she knew that she wanted to make Grace smile, and laugh, and look at her like that as often as possible. She closed her eyes against the emotion that threatened to spill out and squeezed Grace’s hand.

Grace was busy acknowledging her own surge of almost painful happiness so when she looked over Dani and saw the tear spill from the corner of her eye, she rolled over and silently kissed it away and rolled back onto her back. She kept her hand wrapped firmly around Dani’s as she wondered at all of the small and large turns of events that had brought them not only together all those years ago, but together now, in this place, in this moment in time. She blew out a breath at the absolute improbability yet undeniable reality of it all.

“It’s overwhelming sometimes isn’t it” Dani asked her softly and Grace nodded. Her eyes bluer from the tears behind them.

The two women rolled toward each other and embraced silently for long moments before a quick shiver made Grace pull away and go hunting for Dani’s discarded clothes.

She pulled a second towel out of her pack and half dried half dusted her lover off before helping her pull her clothes, which had been warming in the sun, back on. The wordlessly agreed that their wet, sandy underwear was beyond saving and Grace grinned as she tucked the garments into the front pocket of her pack. She pulled out a small meal of cheese, bread, and fruit and quickly got into her own clothes as Dani prepared the food for them.

They sat quietly as they ate. Neither of them really wanting to break the spell of the afternoon with words. They finished eating and Grace lay herself back down, lifting an eyebrow at Dani, silently asking if she wanted to join her. Dani smiled happily and packed away their food-scraps before laying herself against Grace, placing her head on her shoulder and draping her arm across her waist. Grace propped her head up slightly with her hand and sighed contentedly. She felt Dani become heavy against her and her smile deepened as she let her own eyes close and let the warmth and sweet weight of her lover pull her to sleep.

***

Grace’s awoke a couple hours later as her hearing picked up the sound of an approaching car and she smiled. She gently woke Dani up and gathered their belongings.

“Our ride is here” she explained to her still groggy partner.

“Our ride?” Dani asked in confusion.

Grace chuckled “I didn’t think either of us would want to hike back to town after this afternoon” she winked quickly and took Dani’s hand “so I asked William to come get us at 4”

Dani remembered her missing underwear and felt her weary body and blushed at the cause for both. Grace almost laughed again but pulled Dani in close and kissed her instead.

Grace took them through the small trail towards the road and Dani had a momentary flashback as they passed the spot where Grace fell after the EMP strike. Grace squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring look and Dani quickly shook it off as they entered the sunny clearing and saw William in one of the Prosperitas vehicles parked on the roadside.

He greeted them happily as they jumped in and he pulled the car back onto the road. 

They’d been driving for less than a minute when his radio crackled and he picked it up.

“Hadrell here. Didn’t catch that. Repeat”

“Hadrell, we need to find Dani and Grace and get them to the militia headquarters ASAP” came hectors voice.

“I have them with me” he said quickly “What’s happened?”

The two women looked at each other with concern.

“We’ve just had contact from Honolulu” Hector said quickly. “It’s Murphy”

Dani’s heartbeat quickened.

“What about him” Hadrell spoke brusquely.

Here was a long pause before the radio crackled again. “ ……… island” is all that came through.

“Repeat your last” Hadrell spoke

“He say’s that Legion is on the island” Hector repeated.

“We’re on our way” William said and pushed the vehicle forward.

“Fuck” Dani swore

“Do you think he’s telling the truth?” Grace asked.

“I don’t know” Dani answered tiredly. They were supposed to leave tomorrow and a big part of her was tempted to leave Murphy to his own problems.

“William, can you swing past the service road and drop us off at the Jeep” Grace asked and pointed up ahead at the turnoff where she’d parked.

She and Dani got out and jumped into their vehicle and followed William back down the range.

Grace drove silently as she wrestled with the unease that had settled in her stomach, she felt Dani’s hand come to rest over hers on the gearstick and Grace intertwined their fingers and again looked down at the ring on Dani’s finger. She brought her hand up and kissed it before placing it gently on her thigh as she took the wheel with both hands again.

Dani watched Grace as she slowly let her military persona take over. Her eyes became serious and vigilant, her jaw clenched and her hands on the steering wheel tightened.

Dani took a deep breath and squeezed Grace’s thigh as she slowly, almost regretfully, let the Commander seep back into her.

The two women got out of the vehicle not as Dani and Grace but as the Commander and Captain Harper. They approached the small militia building knowing that if what Hector said was true, today would see them fly across to the island, an island which was now home to an enemy combatant, in search of a Legion presence they though they’d already defeated.

Dani took a deep breath and absently thumbed the ring on her finger as they approached the building. Grace’s lip quirked as she noticed the unconscious gesture. She reached out and stopped her partner, quickly kissing Dani in front of the closed door, Dani returned the kiss just a quickly and they exchanged a quick nod and a smile.

“We’ve got this” Grace assured her, and she stepped forward, holding the door of the small room open for the Commander to walk through.

“Tell me” Dani ordered simply to the small group gathered around the radio.

***


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angst warning ahead!  
> Thanks for your patience, this chapter took a lot more time to flesh out properly, and I think it might still need some work .. but here it is for now.  
> All plot here, setting up for the last chapter, and for the third instalment of the New World series.

Hector, Hadrell, Jackson, and Jackson’s second in command in the militia, Lina were gathered around a small table, Hector was trying to get a signal but stood up to greet Dani and Grace as they walked into the room.

“Dani, Grace” Hector nodded, and they nodded back.

He could see that their demeanour had instantly changed from those of his carefree friends he had seen earlier this morning, to that of the Commander and the military Captain he’d met two months ago. So, he took his queue from them and launched straight into business.

“Murphy made contact about an hour ago” he quickly explained. “He was panicked. He sounded frightened” Hector said worriedly.

“Did he say what happened?” Dani asked plainly.

“He said that he’d seen a flying craft of some sort, and that it had shot at him, that the ship, and the bullets that came form it, were like nothing he’d ever seen before.”

William and Grace exchanged glances, both suddenly wishing they had their tactical gear and weapons on them.

“Where was this?” Hadrell asked.

Jackson quickly pulled out a map of the island of O’ahu and pointed to a beach not far from were the islands main military installations used to be in Honolulu

“Has he made contact again?” Grace asked quickly.

Both Jackson and Hector shook their heads and Dani sighed. Murphy had tried to kill her and Grace once already. If he wanted to try again, a remote, abandoned, formerly heavily militarised island, would be the perfect location for an ex-marine to use. But her gut was telling her otherwise.

“Did he say anything else?” Dani asked.

“He said that he was going to dig in, that if we were to come, we should come to this landing point” he pointed at the map, it’s about a click west of his last location, but safe according to him”

Grace went over the map, glanced at it, and crossed her arms “It could be a trap” she said firmly, her eyes serious. She was voicing what everyone in the room had already thought but nobody had said yet.

Hector nodded “that’s why we asked you here. Jackson and I can take the militia and go check it out. But if it’s real, I’m afraid we’ll be ill equipped to help in any way”

Dani looked at Hector and held his gaze “Do you trust what he’s saying Hector? Is he the type of man who would lie to get us out there?”

Hector paused for a moment and then raised his arms “He’s not a liar Dani, but a month ago, I would have said that he wasn’t a killer either”

“I can take the chopper out and do a fly over” Hadrell offered.

Dani shook her head “If it’s real, you’ll need more firepower, and if it’s a trap, a fly over won’t uncover it. He’ll want us boots down before he does anything”

Grace nodded her agreement but remained silent.

Dani sighed as she thought it over. She turned to Grace “we brought plasma and EMP rounds with us didn’t we”

She nodded “Body armour, three rail guns, standard issue rifles with grenade launchers, and enough EMP and plasma rounds to take down a half dozen HK’s or a hive of Rev’s” she rattled off.

“Fuck” Hector breathed out, having no idea that they’d come so heavily armed.

“Fuck yeah!” Jackson exclaimed as he nodded and smiled in excitement.

Dani looked at him and the corner of her mouth lifted.

“Okay, we get back to the yacht, suit up, and we do a fly over first, see what we can see. If anything doesn’t feel right, we get out” She looked between Hadrell and Grace, both of whom nodded.

“I’m coming” Hector said evenly.

“Me too” Jackson chimed in seriously. 

Dani shook her head. “absolutely not”

Hector smiled gently “This is our island Dani, and as much as Murphy as been shunned, he was once one of us. It’s our duty to help both you and him if we can. More so, if the machines are back, we need to know how to defend ourselves against them, it’s our responsibility to protect our home”

Dani shook her head again.

“I wasn’t asking” Hector spoke kindly but clearly, and Dani clenched her jaw, not used to being overruled.

She nodded once “You and Jackson only” she said plainly “come meet us at the beach in 20. We’ll take Torez as well, so it’s going to be a full flight”

They all nodded and broke apart. Lina remaining by the radio in case Murphy made contact again.

William, Grace and Dani spent the quick ride back to the bungalows in silent contemplation. They pulled up to the clearing and Dani quickly called the rest of the group together. She briefly explained what was happening and she could feel the shift in their energy. It reminded her of the energy in the room during a strategy meeting a pre-assault briefing. 

“I need Evelyn, Susan and Stephanie to pack up this site. Get the Jeep loaded onto the carrier and get the carrier prepped for flight within the next four hours. I need us to be able to get off this island quickly if we need to”

The three women nodded, everyone had already packed their personal belongings the day before, so the task would be relatively easy but, the urgency and circumstances under which it needed to be done, set them all on edge.

Dani looked at William “Weapons” she said simply, and he nodded to Grace and Alicia.

The three Augments quickly boarded the inflatable and headed to the moored yacht. They accessed the emergency offensive supply and loaded the two trunks of weaponry and combat gear into the inflatable to bring back to shore.

Hadrell re-fuelled the chopper and jumped in as the two women made their way back to the shore.

Grace and Alicia brought the trunks to the bungalows and opened them up, quickly grabbing their combat clothing and heading to their bungalows to change out of their casual wear.

Dani and Grace entered what had been their home for almost two months and dumped their gear onto the bed. Grace sat heavily on the edge of the bed and they looked at each other silently for a moment, Dani blew out a breath and turned her eyes to the ceiling, feeling angry that their peace together had once again been intruded upon so unexpectedly.

She didn’t want to be the Commander today, she wanted to be with the woman she loved, celebrating their special day with their friends. She blinked back her angry tears. She had only just got Grace back, what if something were to happen today? She seemed to always be putting her partner in harms way one way or another, and she was so incredibly tired of it.

Grace saw Dani’s struggle and got up and wrapped her in a tight embrace which was returned with equal vigour. She knew the fear Dani held for her safety, the anger she probably felt at this latest intrusion on their peace, whether it turned out to be Murphy or Legion, both had potentially deadly implications.

After several quiet moments, she felt Dani’s body relax a little. “It’s going to be okay” Grace whispered and kissed the top of Dani’s head.

“We have no idea what’s out there Grace” Dani sighed and squeezed her arms even more tightly around her partner, laying her head against her chest. “No risks today. Okay?” she asked and felt Grace nod. She couldn’t help but smile at her partners blatant lie, knowing that Grace would always risk herself if there was a danger to Dani or her team.

They gave each other one final squeeze and quickly got into their clothing. Grace pulled on her dark fatigue pants and her standard black tank before sliding into her vest. Dani helped Grace with the straps on her body armour and Grace did the same for her.

They emerged a few minutes later and headed toward the weapons where Alicia awaited. Grace grabbed a standard issue rifle, a shotgun, and an ammunition belt and strapped it around her. Dani and Alicia picked what they needed and clipped their weapons in.

Hadrell had landed the chopper on the beach a few minutes ago and was getting onto his own tactical wear when Hectors vehicle pulled up.

Hector took in the sight of Grace, Dani and the new arrival, Alicia, all standing in their military gear and let out a breath. They got out of the car and approached the group just as Hadrell emerged in his own combat gear. The visage of three Augments and the Commander together sent a chill down his spine, and he was suddenly very glad to be on the same side as them.

Grace pulled out two vests and went over to Hector and Jackson. Helping them into the heavy garment and making sure they were strapped in tightly. She winked quickly at Jackson and moved them closer to the weapons cache.

She pulled out a rifle and showed them the magazines. “these are plasma rounds” she flipped the magazine over so they could see the difference between the rounds inside. “and these are EMP rounds” again she flipped the cartridge and showed them what they looked like.

She pulled out a small electronic notepad and flicked on the screen. She swiped through the menu and pulled up a series of images which they’d all seen before during their earlier meetings, but this time, the two men paid much closer attention.

“Plasma works on anything metallic, the HK’s” she flicked to an image of the flying craft “and the Rev-7’s” she flicked to an image of the semi-humanoid machine with tentacle spears for arms. “the EMP rounds are effective against the metallic portion of the Rev-7, and the metallic portion of the Rev-9” she flicked to the image of several human looking machines.

“If we see a 9, we will call it out, but you need to let us take care of them okay?” she said firmly, and the two men nodded. “If we encounter a HK, use the plasma rounds or the M203 grenade cartridges that slide into the grenade launcher on your rifle like so.” She lifted her own weapon and pushed a large grenade round into the tube-shaped device fitted to the bottom of her rifle. Hector and Jackson both watched intently.

“The rail guns are also effective against the HK’s and the metal forms of either of the Rev’s” she indicated to the two large guns Hadrell was currently lifting out of their cases to fit to the chopper “But Alicia and I will take those for most of the time. You just need to focus on using the rifles if you need to. But more importantly, you need to focus on keeping behind us okay?” she smiled lightly but seriously. And again, the two men nodded quickly.

Dani smiled as she listened to her partner instruct them _‘always the protector’_ she mused, not for the first time. She remembered watching a 12-year-old Grace in the playground with her little brother and thinking the same thing, and over and over again in her role as a medic and an Augment team member. She always took the role of making sure her team was protected, it seemed to be something in her DNA, and it made her an exceptional Captain.

Dani let a surge of pride fill her as she continued to watch her beautiful partner in quiet appreciation. 

Grace strapped a rifle to each of the men and made sure they each had two magazines of both plasma and EMP rounds inserted into the slots on their tactical vests, as well as a belt of M203 grenade cartridges.

“Have either of you used grenades before?” she asked and they both shook their heads, so Grace decided not to hand them over, but to fit each vest with a handgun instead.

She went back to the trunks and proceeded to fit as many weapons to her body as she could. She carried four grenades, two smoke grenades, a handgun with two magazines, in addition to her rifle, shotgun and the associated ammunition already secured to her. 

“helmets” Grace called out and tossed both men one each which they quickly put on and she ensured they were again fitted correctly and turned on the comms so they could communicate.

Thalia and Serena pulled up just as the group finished getting ready.

Serena embraced Hector and kissed him quickly. Thalia quickly thanked Hector and Jackson for volunteering, and then went to Dani and thanked her for deciding to go to the island.

Dani took Thalia’s hand and squeezed it. “I hope it’s nothing Thalia, I really do, but if it is nothing, that means he lured us there, and we will kill him if we need to” she said seriously.

Thalia nodded her understanding. “Is there anything we can do?” she asked.

Dani shook her head “We’ll probably land back at the airport in the next four to 5 hours, but we’ll radio ahead, perhaps you can meet us there?”

The two women nodded.

“We’ve left the yacht’s security scanners unarmed, so it’s yours to use until we come back, as will be the chopper when we return with it this evening” Dani informed them.

“Thank you” Thalia said genuinely.

Stephanie pulled Jackson away from the group quickly and pulled on his straps, making sure everything was tight and well fitting, which it was. She hugged him tightly and whispered something to him and he nodded. They kissed quickly and he eagerly trotted back to the group of soldiers. Grace noticed the exchange and smiled reassuringly to Stephanie, who nodded and smiled in return.

“let’s head out” Dani called out.

Dani paused and came back to Stephanie and Evelyn to give them final instructions. “we’ll aim to be back at the airport this evening, hopefully no longer than 5 or 6 hours from now” she said reassuringly “but” she continued seriously “If we aren’t back by oh-seven-hundred tomorrow morning, contact the base, give them our coordinates and ask them to fly another Spec Op’s team and a dragonfly over here” she ordered and Evelyn and Stephanie nodded their understanding.

Dani turned to head back to the chopper, but Evelyn quickly reached out and held her hand. She pulled Dani into a quick embrace again and as she stepped back, she made a point to hold Dani’s left hand in hers, silently acknowledging the presence of the ring which hadn’t been there the day before.

Dani ducked her head and smiled, and Evelyn pulled her back into a fierce hug “I’m so happy for you both” she whispered “please be safe”

Dani nodded quickly and cleared her throat before trotting back toward the chopper.

“Was that what I think it was?” Stephanie stepped closer to Evelyn a touch of awe in her voice.

“Oiu” Evelyn said happily and brushed a happy tear away as she watched her friend climb into the helicopter.

“holy shit!” Stephanie exclaimed excitedly before clamping a hand over her mouth. She tried to settle herself as Evelyn cautioned her not to tell anyone. This news was for Dani and Grace to share. Stephanie nodded happily and went about packing up their gear with a huge smile on her face.

As Dani settled into the chopper she thought about the mission ahead, acknowledging that despite what she’d asked Evelyn and Stephanie to do, Hadrell, Grace, and Torez were three of the deadliest Spec Op’s members that Prosperitas had, and if they couldn’t get the job done, then it was likely going to take most, if not all of their Augments to do it. She groaned silently and hoped that it wouldn’t come to that.

Hadrell made sure Hector and Jackson were strapped in and flanked by Grace and Alicia, each of whom were positioned at the rail guns on either side of the chopper. He pushed the ignition and the engine started and within minutes they were leaving the big island behind and on their way to O’ahu.

***

The flight was going to take a little over two hours and it was obvious that the team was going to remain mostly silent throughout. Hector pointed out some of the old towns on some of the islands, but Grace, Alicia and Dani were clearly concentrating on the job ahead, so he tried to calm his nerves silently. He thought back to his time as a reservist over twenty years ago, hoping that some of that training would come back to him somehow over the course of the afternoon. Looking at Grace, Alicia, Dani and William, at their studied looks of cold determination, he suddenly felt like more of a liability to the team than an asset, but he was here as one of Perseverance’s leaders, and he intended on taking that role seriously.

William spoke to them loudly over the sound of the engines and the wind.

“If we touch down, I take point. Harper and Torez will flank me. You two and the Commander need to make sure you’re behind us at all times, am I understood?”

He and Jackson immediately nodded, but he caught the lack of acknowledgement from Dani and he smirked, he wouldn’t have expected the Commander to take a back seat in anything, but as the mission leader he still needed to make it clear that she was not putting herself on the front line today. 

“It’ll be around two hours, so rest if you can” he said finally and concentrated on piloting the craft.

Somehow, amongst all the noise and adrenaline, Hector had managed to drift off because the next thing he was aware of was the chopper banking as it swooped over the old city of Honolulu.

He leaned over to get a better view, as did Jackson on the other side.

“Anything?” Dani asked, obviously speaking to the three Augments who could scan large areas much more efficiently than they could.

All three shook their heads and William piloted the chopper around to take a slightly different approach.

“Wait” Grace yelled out from her side “I’m picking up two heat signatures” she called out.

“Same” Alicia confirmed “one human, one definitely Legion, a 9 by the looks of it” she said.

Hector and Jackson exchanged glances and gripped their weapons more tightly. This would possibly be their first encounter with the Rev-9 they’d only learned about recently. The most human of the Legion weapons, and one of the most deadly.

“Affirmative Commander. A human and a Rev-9 heat signature in sight” he swung the small chopper around again “I can’t get a visual though”

“I can’t see a HK” Dani yelled back.

And the three agreed.

“Fuck!” Dani swore, knowing that they’d have to land simply because of the Rev-9 sighting, but the lack of the HK worried her because that’s what Murphy’s distress call had initially been about. Knowing there was a Rev down there made her convinced that there was also a HK somewhere unseen, and both set her on edge. 

“Putting her down” Hadrell called out and Grace and Alicia immediately raised their rail guns and scanned the area.

No sooner had the helo touched ground then Hadrell jumped out, rifle at the ready. He signalled for Grace and Torez and they too jumped out, leaving the rail guns behind, and lifting their rifles, fingers close to their triggers.

The three of them scanned the area and Grace gestured ahead of her “200 meters” she whispered.

Dani jumped out and Hector and Jackson followed suit.

The three Augments ran low and fast toward the target they’d seen, reaching it before Dani or the others had a chance to catch up.

It was Murphy, pinned down on his stomach, arms held behind him by Grace. He was very much alive, and very glad to see them.

“It’s over there!” he tried to point behind him.

Hadrell patted Murphy down and pulled out his empty sidearm. Tossing it aside before signalling Harper to let him up.

Murphy continued “I don’t know what it is” he said honestly “He looks human, but he’s not” he stumbled, unsure of what he’d actually seen the day before.

“How are you still alive?” Dani asked roughly.

He shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve been holed up in this spot for almost a full day. I hid myself in the tank:” he pointed directly behind him “hoping he couldn’t see me. I waited until I heard the chopper approach before, I came out”

Grace looked at the tank and noted that her IR couldn’t see as clearly into it, so perhaps he was telling the truth, perhaps the lead lining in the tank had hid him from the Rev. She continued to scan the area looking for the second heat signature, training her weapon incrementally as she did.

“What about the HK?” Dani asked quickly

“The what?” Murphy asked.

“The aircraft” she said brusquely.

Murphy shook his head. “the last I saw, it was a little further east. It shot at me a few times but didn’t give chase” he said. He pulled out a shell from one of his pockets and handed it to Dani “I pulled this” Dani took one look at it and swore in Spanish.

“Definitely a HK” Hadrell called out to his team as he caught sight of the distinctive bullet. “formation” he called out again and Grace and Alicia immediately flanked him”

“Can I have a weapon?” Murphy asked loudly.

Grace looked at Dani who nodded and she unstrapped her shotgun and handed it over “aim it at any of us, and I’ll kill you” she said with deadly intent, and Murphy quickly nodded, taking the weapon and cocking it, being extremely careful not to train it anywhere near the three soldiers at the front of the group.

The team of seven slowly made their way east, Hadrell scanned ahead of him, while Grace and Alicia scanned either side as they went. Foot by foot they covered close to 100 meters before Hadrell held up his hand in a fist and everyone stopped.

He made several quick hand gestures to Grace and Alicia and together the three of them spread out. Dani, Hector, Jackson and Murphy stood close and tired to see what William had.

Dani’s heart raced as the three Augments moved out of sight. Within a few seconds she heard the first shot ring out and she raised her weapon in the direction of the sound.

Another shot followed by three more and Dani’s gasped and moved forward, her rifle ready as a Rev-9 emerged from the pile of rubble. Its liquid exoskeleton reforming from the several plasma blasts it had absorbed.

Dani placed her finger over the trigger just as Jackson, unexpectedly ran toward it firing his own weapon, discharging several plasma rounds, all of which it managed to dodge with lightning speed as it kept reforming and approaching. 

It lunged forward and drew its arm back, forming a spear, before thrusting it forward toward Jackson. Seemingly out of nowhere, Grace appeared, and caught the blow with her bare hands, stopping its arm from moving further, pushing hard against the spear, and dropping the machine to its knees. It pulled back its other arm and tried to strike a second blow, but Grace threw her leg out and stomped on that spear, dropping the Rev to the ground, stopping it in its tracks.

With Grace being so close, Alicia fired a plasma explosive rather than an EMP directly into it and Grace threw herself out of the way just before the liquid metal exploded around them. Grace grabbed and covered Jackson mid-air and she landed heavily first, smoothly rolling Jackson off of her as she completed the roll and got back to her feet just as the now almost bare metal endoskeleton tried to move toward them again.

Grace breathed heavily as she raised her rifle but an EMP round flew past her and into its’ skull before she came close to her own trigger. The metal machine dropped to the ground, writhing, and grasping uselessly at the charge buried in its head.

Grace looked behind her and smiled, Dani nodded back. Neither saying a word. 

Hadrell limped toward the group, pulling hard on the tourniquets around his leg, holding the dressing in place over the new wound from the spear he’d taken when they initially found it. “Fucker” He spat at the machine as the three Augments regrouped.

They didn’t wait for it to stop moving, uniformly taking up their positions again and moved past it.

“You okay?” Hector asked Jackson as the two of them moved together. Jackson was clearly winded but nodded and tried to keep his weapon trained and ready as they moved. He looked down at the machine as they passed it and his stomach churned. He couldn’t believe the show of brute force he’d just seen, from both the machine and the soldiers around him. Everything had happened so quickly he could scarcely put it together in his head.

“What did Stephanie say to you back at the beach” He asked the young man under his breath, trying to tear his focus away from the machine for a moment.

Jackson looked ahead of him “She said to stay behind Grace” he smiled broadly, and Hector returned it.

“Can’t argue with that” He replied quietly. Of the three Augments, William was obviously the strongest and most intimidating, but Grace was definitely the deadliest from what he could tell. She also genuinely cared for the young man. For her entire team in fact. She had an unusual mix of cold, deadly, efficiency when in combat, yet palpable humanity and compassion when not. He felt privileged to be able to call her a friend, and looking at Jackson, he could tell the young man’s respect and admiration for the tall Augment had just doubled.

“Exactly where did you last see the HK?” Hadrell asked Murphy over his shoulder.

“Straight ahead, about 50 meters past the remains of the hospital” he indicated to the skeleton of the building close to them.

Hadrell signalled Alicia to go climb the building to check the roof and she bolted off. Hadrell and Grace repositioned themselves to cover the group as they kept moving meter by meter, scanning in IR, x-ray and echo successively with each step.

Grace raised her fist and the group came to a halt. She made several silent hand gestures to Hadrell and he nodded. She turned around and quietly instructed Jackson and Hector to shelter behind the uprooted semi directly beside them “Rev-7” She said quietly and swapped out her EMP magazine for a plasma explosive one, and Dani did the same.

She handed Murphy two grenades from her vest and told him to cover Hector and Jackson if it came close.

“I can help” he said, and Grace shook her head quickly.

“Not against this you can’t” she looked him in the eyes and knew there’d be no argument.

Hadrell caught sight of Alicia at the top of the old hospital and signalled the presence of the Rev-7 to her. He told her to hold her position and she immediately trained her weapon in the vicinity of the hidden terminator.

“It’s about 20 meters ahead” Grace whispered to Dani. “It has to know we’re here, but it hasn’t moved. I don’t know why. They’ve never been evasive or strategic before”

Grace’s stomach felt uneasy. The Rev-9 hadn’t engaged them in any type of offensive assault. It had lay in wait and lured them to it. And now the Rev-7 seemed to be doing the same. This was not their normal behaviour and it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on edge.

She kept her rifle ready it and whispered over her shoulder to Dani “stay behind me” never taking her eyes off the heat signature of the Rev-7. She felt Dani’s palm on her back, letting her know exactly where she was.

Hadrell and Grace closed on the Rev, trying to flush it out straight ahead of them, towards where the HK should be, but it refused to move.

Grace fired a round, blasting a hole in the rubble and metal debris it had been trying to camouflage in. Leaving it exposed to the team.

It appeared to look between Hadrell and the two approaching women and split into its endo and exo skeleton halves. Ready to charge at the two parties.

Alicia sent a round into the liquid metal half and took one of it’s tentacled arms off.

“Holy mother of God” Murphy whispered as he watched the machines in the distance.

Grace, Dani and William all raised their weapons and fired unrelentingly at the two halves.

Grace moved confidently toward the liquid metal half closest to her. She shot four successive rounds into its’ skull and torso which exploded and dropped what remained to the ground.

The metal half was harder to destroy with the plasma rounds, but Hadrell had taken off another arm and torn a hole through its’ torso.

Grace and Dani turned their weapons on the remaining half-terminator and had it on the ground within seconds. Hadrell pulled a grenade from his vest and dropped it into the cavity of the metal body and kept walking toward their destination as the round went off behind him.

Grace turned toward the three men several meters behind her and signalled them to follow.

“I don’t like this” Grace whispered into her mic as she cautiously scanned every inch of ground she could see.

“Me either Harper” Hadrell whispered back “Eyes open”

This wasn’t normal Rev behaviour; it was highly unusual to find a single Rev-7 by itself, and the Rev-9’s were normally much smarter than to be caught and flushed out so easily.

“I see the HK” Torez whispered to them from the roof. She’d made her way to the back of the roof and pointed an arm out and down “about 30 meters due east of your position. I have a visual. It’s just sitting there, powered down”

“Fuck” Grace said. Recalling the HK’s that had been mounted on top of the Dam. All powered off and invisible via IR, but all had large calibre, motion-sensored weaponry attached to them. At the moment they were hidden by the corner of the large building, but if they rounded it, the machine could likely come to life.

“To the wall” Hadrell ordered and the group all moved closer to the hospital wall.

Grace, pulled a large M203 grenade from her belt and fed it into the grenade launcher on her rifle. Hadrell and Dani did the same.

Jackson and Hector pulled out their own rounds and copied what they’d just seen.

“Torez” Hadrell whispered into his radio “Drop a grenade onto its ass”

“With pleasure” she replied.

There was a distinct hollow popping sound of the launcher firing the grenade, followed by the quick electric hum and powerful spray of defensive rounds as the HK blocked the grenade from reaching it. The Grenade went off mid-air and the motion-sensored machine gun trained itself on Alicia’s position.

“Get down here” Hadrell ordered before it began to shoot, and she ran fast and low until she was back inside the building’s stairwell, jumping down flights of stairs as fast as her legs would take her.

They could hear the HK power up. They couldn’t let it get away, they had to take it down here, so Hadrell ordered them to spread out.

All seven of the team sprinted into a rough semi-circle, taking cover behind whatever they could as the machine gun fired at each of them successively.

Grace whipped out from behind the burnt out shell of a Humvee and let her grenade fly. The HK took defensive action and shot the grenade out of the air before it was even half way across it’s arc toward the flying machine.

Grace’s mind raced. The HK’s they normally encountered weren’t designed to combat small ground fire. They used large calibre weapons to take out their targets, they never used evasive manoeuvres to stand their ground.

“What the hell is it doing!?” she yelled to nobody.

“Everyone on 3” Hadrell ordered, and the three Augments reloaded their launchers.

“3!” He yelled, and the group came out from behind whatever their cover had been to fire their weapons.

Murphy, who had a shotgun and two grenades moved closer to the machine and tried to manually lob his grenade toward it.

The HK immediately lifted off into the air letting all seven grenades arc uselessly and explode on contact with the ground.

The HK sent a powerful spray of bullets toward its’ closest target before anyone could react, and Murphy shook bonelessly as the large rounds passed through his unprotected body, leaving it lifeless before it even hit the ground. The group watched as a spider like arm quickly reached out from the hull of the HK and collected Murphy’s body, bringing it into the body of the large ship.

Grace and Hadrell immediately moved out from cover and fired their plasma rounds at the ship, taking it from two different sides. Dani and Alicia quickly followed from their positions, and Jackson and Hector from theirs.

Between the six of them they managed to get three or four hits before the spray of defensive bullets swept across their semi-circular formation, sending them all back behind their cover.

Grace heard Hector grunt as one round went into his vest and another passed cleanly through his upper arm. The impact of both throwing him back off his feet. “Shit” she swore and ran fast and low toward her fallen friend, covered by Dani and Hadrell.

She ripped open her pouch and puled out the haemostatic gauze dressing. Pushing it firmly into the wound. “You’re going to be fine” she reassured the fallen man, her RD telling her the wound was clean and no bone or major blood vessels were damaged.

She signalled Jackson over and Hadrell again provided cover fire as the young soldier joined her.

She wrapped a combine dressing over the wound and pushed an adrenaline pen into his thigh. She couldn’t have him passing out from pain or blood-loss here.

She stabilised his arm and asked Jackson to keep applying pressure and to make sure he stayed awake. Jackson nodded and quickly placed his hand where Grace’s had been moments before.

Grace breathed evenly and pulled her rifle up again. She raised it and fired at the hovering HK, running from one place of cover to the next. Alicia started to do the same. Both trying to divide its firepower and get underneath it’s belly where it had less defensive capabilities.

Hadrell and Dani provided the two as much cover as they could as they dodged their way closer.

The claw like arm shot out from the hull aimed for Alicia. But she pushed a small car between it and herself and it slammed into the metal barrier before pulling back and preparing to strike out again, but this time at Grace.

Grace ducked out from her relatively vulnerable position and slid to a stop behind a thick cement bollard just as the claw reached her. It wrapped itself uselessly around the bollard, taking chunks of it away as it retracted and prepared for another strike.

Dani and Hadrell were out of range of the arm, so they continued to fire and take cover from the returning machine gun spray.

“What the fuck is it doing!?” Grace said through clenched teeth.

“I’ve never seen one act like this” Alicia agreed.

“together on 3?” Grace yelled and Alicia nodded.

“3!” Grace called and the two Augments charged and fired at the craft.

It seemed to sense the oncoming attack and launched itself higher and closer toward Dani and Hadrell’s location, essentially leapfrogging over the two approaching Augments to get closer to Hadrell and the Commander.

“Fuck!” Grace yelled and sprinted after it.

She saw the metal arm come out of the craft and head towards Dani. It missed on its’ first attempt, picking up and throwing the vehicle she’d been standing behind.

It went for her again, but by this time Grace, William and Alicia had all closed the distance between themselves and the Commander. Grace was the closest and threw herself between the descending claw and her partner, grunting as the metal fingers closed tightly around her. Alicia and Hadrell grabbed onto the metal claw and tried to wrestle it open.

Unexpectedly, it sent a short electrical charge down through it and the three Augments jolted. William and Alicia fell back, and Grace arched against the current but was held tightly nonetheless, her body suspended almost upside down as the arm began to retract.

Dani reached for Grace’s hand and her partner grasped it quickly, but as Dani began to lift from the ground, Grace let her go.

“No!” Dani screamed as the arm visibly tightened around Grace as it pulled her higher. She watched as her partner got hauled up and into the hull of the carrier.

Hadrell stood on shaky legs and tried to shoot the extension on the arm but stopped after a few rounds in case he hit Grace.

Alicia began taking shots at the HK itself, but it flew higher and out of range. Grace soon disappeared inside the hull but instead of launching another attack, which they all expected it to, it began lifting off and moving away from them.

“We have to follow it!” Dani yelled and Hadrell quickly went to Hector and helped Jackson carry him back to the copper. Alicia covered the Commander as they swiftly ran the short distance to the chopper and boarded.

“Keep your eyes on it” He needlessly instructed Alicia as he waited for the chopper to fire up “we need to hang back Commander. We have the rail guns, but in this chopper, we’ll be sitting ducks against any offensive attack from a HK”

Dani nodded “We only need to follow close enough to see where it takes her”

He pulled on the stick and the small helicopter lifted off.

Hadrell and Alicia used their zoom capabilities to find and trace the HK at a safe distance.

They’d been flying for mere minutes when the HK started to bank hard.

“What the fuck?” William said.

“What is it!?” Dani asked, not being able to see the way he could. He didn’t answer immediately and when she looked toward the speck of metal in the distance, she saw the bright flash of an explosion and her heart stopped. “Grace! No!” She yelled in panic her hands flat on the glass of the windscreen.

“She jumped Commander” Alicia spoke quickly “She’s on the ground” She pointed and Hadrell steered the chopper to a safe landing point. It seemed like minutes before it landed, but Dani was off before it had even touched down. Hadrell swore and finished landing the chopper, ordering Alicia to stay with Hector and Jackson as he grabbed a stretcher and chased after her.

“Grace!” Dani yelled as she caught sight of her partners’ very still body which looked like it had landed hard. Her arms were by her sides indicating that she was probably unconscious when she hit the ground, not able to brace or deflect any of the impact. Her helmet lay on the ground not far from her, and Dani hoped that it had come off after the impact, not before.

Hadrell caught up with Dani before she got to Grace. “She’s alive Commander” he breathed heavily and passed her.

She closed her eyes briefly in thanks and kept running.

Hadrell was turning her over by the time Dani reached her. He pulled out her med-gun and injected a dose.

Dani saw the red bio-mesh through her skin, and the short, shallow breaths she was taking. But other than the obvious signs of a crash, she appeared uninjured. Some fresh scratches, and minor bleeding, but nothing life-threatening that she could see with her naked eyes. She looked at William and he confirmed.

“She’s stable Commander. A possible concussion and a level 5 crash, but she’s stable. I can’t see any breaks or punctures” He rattled off “She probably hit her head hard on the way down” he grimaced as he reached out and picked up her helmet which did indeed have a spider-web shaped impact pattern in it. He tossed the now useless helmet aside and grinned “not to worry, she’s got a hard head”

Dani laughed and let out the breath she’d been holding. She immediately assisted to get Grace onto the stretcher and helped Hadrell carry her back to the chopper.

Alicia saw them approach and ran towards them, taking the stretcher from the Commander and loaded her friend safely inside the chopper within minutes.

“Is she okay?!” Hector yelled.

Alicia gave him a quick nod having assessed her friends’ vitals as she’d secured her.

Dani jumped back into the chopper by Grace “We need to take another pass Major I need you and Torez to make sure there’s nothing else down there” she ordered.

William nodded and fired up the engines.

Dani took her seat at the back next to the rail gun which Grace would have manned. Torez took the other, and within less than a minute they were air born again.

He flew as low as was safe, and everyone scanned the area, looking for any signs of another HK or any other Legion activity.

“It doesn’t make any sense” Dani yelled “why were they even here?”

Hadrell shook his head. He had a bad feeling about their presence and what it meant for Prosperitas. A single Rev-7, a single Rev-9, and a single HK. All exhibiting unusual defensive and offensive behaviour, as if they wanted the team to engage and kill them all. The Commander was right, it didn’t make sense.

He flew over several times but beside the burning wreckage of the HK, neither he nor Torez could pick up any IR, echo, or X-ray on any more Legion tech in the area. Dani saw nothing with her bare eyes, and after a half hour Hadrell advised them that they’d have to start heading back to the Big Island due to fuel reserves.

Dani agreed but made a mental note to order a second Spec Op’s team to go over the site in more detail and to put an air strike on reserve just in case.

She looked down at her still unconscious partner, concerned that she hadn’t woken up yet, but relieved that she’d managed to get herself out of the HK before it had taken her anywhere or done anything to her. _‘but where exactly would it have taken her?”_ she asked herself, her stomach rolling with the unpleasant sensation of dangerous unanswered questions.

She sat with those questions and was nowhere closer to an answer as they approached the airport and the awaiting C5.

Hadrell had radioed ahead to advise Perseverance briefly of the events that had transpired, and what medical aid they would need. In turn, Dr Yeo and Stephanie were ready on the tarmac to treat Hector and had prepped a stretcher and fluids for Grace.

“I want wheels up in 20 minutes!” Dani ordered her team as she got ready to disembark.

When they landed, Hadrell handed the keys to the chopper over to Hector and thumped him on his uninjured shoulder “look after her”

Dr Yeo sat Hector down and quickly started an IV, flushed the wound thoroughly, applied a local anaesthetic, and used the plasma laser to seal it quickly. Dr Guiria was on hand to assist if needed, but Susan was much quicker than he was with this kind of trauma, and other than after-care instructions to ensure Hector received daily antibiotics, pain management and rest, there wasn’t much for him to do.

Jackson sat down heavily and chugged down a bottle of water Hadrell threw him. He was uninjured but shaken, and very glad to be back.

Stephanie quickly re-assessed Grace and came to the same conclusion that Hadrell and Torez had. She was stable but had likely suffered a concussion. Her pupils were sluggish but equal and reactive, so there didn’t seem to be any concern over any type of severe traumatic brain injury. Grace was also somewhat responsive to painful stimuli, her brows furrowing slightly as Stephanie rubbed her knuckles roughly over Graces sternum. Another good sign that Grace was going to be okay.

Dani watched anxiously over the medics’ shoulders. Even though Stephanie assured her that Grace was going to be fine, she knew that she wouldn’t fully relax until her partner had opened her eyes. Stephanie moved herself away so Dani could get closer.

Thalia and Serena approached her and after a moments’ pause, they embraced. Serena whispering a thank you for keeping her husband safe and Dani smiled, informing her that it was mostly Grace. Serena reached out and grasped Grace’s forearm, giving it a gentle squeeze before heading back to her husband.

Dani quickly went over the last few hours with Thalia, advising her, that with her permission, she’d send a second team to surveill the area again within the next few days to make sure there weren’t any other Legion assets on the island. Thalia nodded her understanding and consent.

She took Dani’s hands gently “You’re leaving?” more a statement than a question.

Dani nodded sadly “Unfortunately” then smiled “But we’ll come back soon, I promise” She hugged Thalia, then went to Hector and Serena and did the same. She found Jackson and instead of hugging the soldier she held out her hand.

Jackson, exhausted and sore from the days’ events, stood up straight and took the Commanders hand enthusiastically.

“You did well out there Jackson” Dani said kindly, nodding and moving back toward her team.

Stephanie smiled brightly, knowing that Dani would have known what the gesture meant to him. She kissed him and hugged him quickly as she heard the engines of the plane come to life. “I’ll see you soon” she whispered and kissed him again before dashing up the cargo hold ramp. 

Thalia held out her hand to Dani as she passed by again and Dani stopped. “Be well” She said to Dani “Both of you” she said earnestly “and keep in touch”

Dani smiled and embraced the older woman quickly again before boarding the plane.

Hadrell closed the cargo bay door, Torez took the pilot’s seat, and within minutes the large craft was charging down the runway and taking flight.

Dani felt the lift and the pull of gravity as the plane soared higher, she looked out one of the windows as the island became smaller and sighed heavily. So much had happened there. So many wonderful things, and so many horrible things too. But Prosperitas had a new ally and they’d made new friends, so all in all, they were coming home successful.

She wrapped her hand gently around Grace’s forearm and looked at the ring on her finger, she lovingly brushed the sweaty, matted hair away from Grace’s forehead, smiling as she waited for her partner to wake

***

About an hour into the flight Grace jolted awake and tried to sit up but Dani was right by her side keeping her in place.

Stephanie and Dr Yeo moved in and Dani took a step back.

“How do you feel?” Dr Yeo asked plainly

“Tired, confused, but physically okay” Grace answered honestly.

“Headaches, nausea”

Grace nodded her head “Headache”

“Do you remember what happened when the HK took you?” Stephanie asked.

Grace rubbed her face “Not everything. I remember being put in one of those cages, Murphy was in the same one, but he was dead. It took off, but those cages weren’t built for holding Augments” she smiled lightly “I remember tossing two grenades into the HK as I jumped ship”

“Do you remember anyone else on board?” Stephanie asked.

“No, I made sure there wasn’t any human presence before I took it down”

“Do you recall seeing any Rev’s, any Legion technology that was new to you?” Evelyn asked from behind the two women.

Grace shook her head again “No, I don’t think so” she answered, her brows furrowed.

Dani could see her getting a little overwhelmed and stepped in.

“Okay ladies, we can leave the debrief for Base” she looked at them pointedly. “I just need to know she’s physically well for now” she smiled, and Grace smiled back at her.

Dr Yeo quickly inserted the medical probe into Grace’s wrist and checked through the download.

“Everything seems okay, but I’d like to do a full workup when we get back to Base”

Dani thanked her and nodded, she helped Grace off the stretcher, and they placed themselves in the not overly comfortable seats nearby. Soon Evelyn and Hadrell joined them, as did Stephanie and Dr Yeo.

“We need to figure out if that HK was operating solo and if that encounter was a coincidence or part of a plan” Hadrell began.

“I don’t believe in coincidences” Dani said plainly. 

“And why out of all of you did it capture Grace?” Stephanie queried.

Grace shook her head. “It was trying to get to Dani, I got in it’s way”

“But then why not all of you?” Evelyn said.

“Probably because I blew it to hell before it could circle back and try again” Grace said with a grin.

“Hadrell” Dani spoke “I need you to get on the radio and get the Base to notify the Settlements and outposts that we just had a Rev and a HK encounter, no details yet. I need a Spec Op’s team ready to depart back to the island by tomorrow morning to do another sweep and bring back the debris for Evelyn’s team to comb over. The Settlements need to know to be on the lookout, and we need to start thinking about scouting the original east coast sites and abandoned former military installations for other possible Legion tech we might have missed”

“Do you think it’s back?” Grace asked seriously.

Dani sighed and rubbed her temples “I don’t think so. If Legion were back they’d have been smarter than announcing their presence via a single HK, and two Rev’s. They’d have either launched an all-out attack against us, or they would have tried to infiltrate again”

“They’d have tried to kill you again and to access our network” Evelyn said honestly. “I don’t understand the intent of this attack because it seems like neither” the space became quiet.

The last Rev-9’s they’d encountered a year ago during the final confrontation in the Seattle Settlement, had orders to infiltrate the Resistance network to bring the mainframe back online, and to assassinate the Commander. Legion Rev’s were single minded in the pursuit of their orders, so if any of them still existed, their orders should have been the same.

Dani took a quick breath and broke the silence “We’ll need to convene a Committee summit immediately and get the Settlements back on a war footing just in case” she sighed. “12 months of peace after 20 years of war isn’t much, but people may have become complacent and we can’t afford that right now”

“Commander” Hadrell nodded and made his way back to the cockpit to make the necessary radio contact via the HAM.

“Fuck!” Dani stood and yelled in impotent anger.

“Dani” Grace said gently and pulled her partner close “we’ll figure his out” She felt Dani’s head nod against her chest, and she squeezed her tighter.

She felt an odd sensation come over her as she stood there with Dani in her arms, something unnatural. _‘Do it’_ she heard a voice in her head say and she felt her augments try to surge to life. She let go of Dani and took a step back.

“Grace?” Dani said in concern.

Grace shook her head and took a few more steps back. “It’s nothing, just a bit dizzy” she said and sat back down heavily, away from the group trying to assess her body via her RD.

 _‘Do it!’_ the voice said again more forcefully, and her hands began to tremble slightly.

“I’ll get you some water okay” Dani offered and walked off to the supplies.

Hadrell came down the staircase “Committee meeting is scheduled for just after we land in approximately three hours, I’ve asked them to temporarily put in place Resistance war measures until we can figure out what happened and a Spec Op’s team will be ready to depart for Hawaii on your command”

Dani nodded and thanked William before turning with the water toward her partner. 

Grace had doubled over, her hands on either side of her head as the voice became louder and more insistent _‘do it!’_

“What is it?” Dani asked in concern and started to walk back quickly. Dr Yeo and Stephanie stood and began to follow Dani.

Grace felt her augments surge again and she looked up and raised her arm “stay away!” she yelled at them all, panting as she tried to get herself under control.

Her augments fought back powerfully and this time she felt herself slip away, receding into the background, unable to stop her augments or her body.

Dani stopped and locked eyes with her partner as she stood “Grace?” Dani asked and backed up a step. She didn’t recognise the person who stood up and took a step toward her. It was Grace’s body, but it wasn’t Grace inside. Her eyes flashed a familiar iridescent blue like they did when she let her augments take control of her during battle, but the person behind those eyes wasn’t Grace.

Grace tilted her head and smiled at Dani but it never reached her eyes. She pulled out her sidearm and raised it quickly, aiming it directly at Dani’s head.

Dani stood wide-eyed rooted in place, unable to say or do anything. For a split-second Dani saw _her_ Grace return, saw her lower her arm slightly, and then, just as quickly her eyes went dead again and the stranger fired three successive shots into Dani’s chest, throwing her off her feet and backward onto the floor.

It happened in less than a second, the surrealness of the situation making everyone slow to react, but as the shots rang out and Dani fell, chaos ensued.

Hadrell flew at Grace and disarmed her, pinning her to the floor. He had no idea what the hell was happening, but his instinct was to protect the Commander.

“Dani!” Evelyn screamed and she and Stephanie ran to Dani and turned her over. Stephanie pulled the tactical vest off her chest and relief flooded her as she saw all three slugs imbedded in the body armour. Stephanie called to her a few times before Dani opened her eyes and took a choked breath as her sternum protested the movement.

“What the fuck just happened!?” Hadrell yelled as he pulled Grace up and pinned her to the wall.

Grace raised her splitting head and saw Dani laying on the ground, Evelyn, Dr Yeo and Stephanie tending to her. “Dani?” She said in a panic and tried to move toward her but Hadrell kept her in place.

Grace looked at Hadrell and back at Dani “What the fuck happened?” she yelled. Panic clear in her voice. She roughly pushed Hadrell off her and tried to move toward her partner “Dani!?”

Hadrell grabbed her again but this time Grace fought back. She didn’t know why her body had just done what it did, but she needed to get to Dani. She knew William was trying to protect her, but she wasn’t going to let him stop her. She swung a vicious blow and connected with his jaw. He took a half step back and grunted, giving her enough space to turn back around toward her partner.

William shook his head to clear it. Grace was his friend, he didn’t want to hurt her, but he had to protect Dani, and for whatever reason Grace had just tried to kill her. So, he squared his shoulders and charged her. He tackled her around her ribcage and lifted her off the ground, slamming them both to the floor.

Grace felt the air leave her lungs, but she continued to fight back. She used her hips and legs and flipped them. As she did, she felt her anger build and her augments came back to life, she felt something else try to push into her consciousness. Her eyes darkened and she punched him again and quickly pulled herself way and moved back toward Dani.

Hadrell was dazed but came up behind her and put her in a choke hold.

By this time Evelyn, Dr Yeo and Stephanie had helped Dani sit up and the four of them watched in horror as their friends grappled with each other.

Grace dropped to her knee and used momentum and gravity to flip Hadrell over her. She swung her body around his and expertly pinned him to the ground, wrapping her legs around his neck and pulling his arm back painfully. All she had to do was twist and she would break his neck. She breathed as the dark voice came into her head again _‘do it!’_ and she grit her teeth and got ready to twist.

“Grace!” Dani yelled.

“No!” Evelyn screamed.

Grace heard them and took a breath, the dark voice faded, and she came back to herself, immediately relaxing but not releasing her hold on William.

“What the fuck is happening?” she panted. She rolled backward off William and stood, turning to face Dani. Her eyes confused and scared “Dani?”

William took advantage of her dropped guard and wrapped his arms around her neck and chest, sweeping her off her feet and they landed heavily on the floor again. This time William held Grace above him, using his legs to wrap around hers and keep her lower half pinned. He tightened his grip around her neck and she managed to almost free herself with a blow to his ribs, but he grunted and clung on, repositioning his arms slightly so that the more she tried to pull free, the more her blood and air supply was cut off. He squeezed a little more and within a few seconds her eyes closed, her body stopped struggling and her arms dropped to her sides.

Hadrell held the hold for a little longer just in case “sorry love” he grunted and gently rolled her unconscious body off him.

Evelyn was immediately by his side as he struggled to his feet. He pulled his med gun out and dosed himself. He read Grace’s vitals and dosed her too.

“She won’t be out for long” He panted and pulled out a length of rope from his supply bag. He expertly wound it around Graces forearms from the crease of her elbow to her wrist. He then did the same with her legs, binding them from half way up her calves to her ankles.

Augments could easily snap metal handcuffs or plastic zip ties, but this kind of restraint was virtually impossible for them to break free from. They simply couldn’t get enough leverage or momentum necessary to break a restraint like this.

He finished and sat back heavily. Assessing the damage to his body. Realising that, for a moment, Grace could have actually killed him.

Dani crouched next to her unconscious partner and stroked her cheek.

“Dani” Evelyn said in a warning tone, and William tried to pull her away.

“Don’t!” She yelled and shook him free.

“It wasn’t her” she said firmly. “Can’t you see that” she looked up at her friends “It wasn’t her” 

“We need to get her into the med bay as soon as we land” Dr Yeo said firmly.

Dani stopped her four friends “You cannot disclose this to anyone right now. We don’t know what’s happened, and I don’t want anyone panicking” she said as the Commander.

Hadrell, Evelyn, Susan and Stephanie all nodded.

“Wait” Dani said quickly. “If Legion did something to her on that HK, we can’t risk taking her to a Prosperitas location, we can’t risk Legion gaining access to any of our systems”

Evelyn quickly nodded “The old off-site research facility. We can use that and bring the equipment we need there. Keep it totally isolated and off the network.

Dani nodded her agreement “We tell Torez, but that’s it. I don’t want anyone outside of this group knowing what happened on this plane until we figure it out. Am I understood?” She said firmly.

They all nodded. Hadrell strapped Grace’s still unconscious body back to the stretcher. Dr Yeo administered a heavy sedative to keep her unconscious.

Stephanie dashed up to the cockpit and within a minute she and Torez were descending the stairs together

“What the fuck happened?!” Torez exclaimed. Looking between the pale Commander who was being checked by Dr Yeo, William who was bloody and winded and being tended to by Evelyn, and her bound and unconscious friend laid out on the stretcher”

Dani gave her a brief rundown and advised her that nobody outside of this small crew were to know what happened until they could figure out what actually did happen.

Alicia nodded quietly and started ascending the stairs again “We’ll be landing in about two hours” She informed the group.

“Can we keep her sedated until we get her to the research facility?” Dani asked Dr Yeo who nodded.

Dani sat down and winced at the pain in her chest where the bullets had hit her armour. Her hands started to shake. What if she hadn’t been wearing it? What if Grace hadn’t dropped her aim? She felt ill. Something was inside her partner. She knew it, she saw it. And it wanted to kill her.

“Hey” Evelyn’s soft voice called to her as she took a seat next to Dani. “Stupid question, but are you okay”

Dani looked up at her friend with tears in her eyes and shook her head.

Evelyn wrapped her up in a tight hug and waited for her to settle.

“She could have killed William” Dani breathed out. “She could have killed me” she looked up at her friend. “But I saw her lower her aim, I saw something inside her change. Something happened to her on that HK Eve”

Evelyn nodded. And looked over at the unconscious and bound soldier. She felt sick just remembering the grip Grace had had around Williams neck. She could so easily have taken him from her. She leant forward and put her head in her hands and breathed through the nausea, trying to let her pragmatic brain reel in her emotions.

“I think some kind of Legion technology is trying to over-ride her microprocessor. I think the HK grabbed Grace on purpose, it wasn’t an accident, I think it knew that by going for you, either William or Grace or Alicia would have put themselves in its way. I think it knows what an Augment is Dani” she said seriously “And I think it has figured out how to somehow hijack their microprocessor”

Evelyn stood up and went to Grace. She gently rotated Graces head and pushed back the hair at the back of her neck and clenched her jaw. There was a fresh puncture wound approximately where the insertion site for her microprocessor would be.

“So Legion is back” Dani sighed.

“In some form, _oui_ ” Evelyn nodded. “But I don’t think it’s the mainframe. It’s too isolated an event; we would have picked up something if the AI actually existed on a platform of any kind. I think whatever this is, it’s using Grace as a vehicle to infiltrate.

I think perhaps there’s a Rev-9 or a small hive of 9’s still out there trying to bring Legion back online somehow. The 9’s were the most sentient of the Rev’s, the most independent of the mainframe, the most capable of carrying a duplicate viral copy, and the most capable of pulling something like this off; implanting a virus inside an Augment under the guise of an attack and capture” She ran her hands through her unruly curls in frustration.

“Also, the fact that it happened on the island, which has been essentially deserted for almost the entirety of the war says that this was a deliberate failsafe which Legion put in place before the battle at the dam, without us finding out. Nothing on the island is technologically capable of hosting the mainframe, and none of our drones picked up any unusual IR activity or energy usage prior to getting to the island. I think that those Rev’s and that HK were placed there on purpose, to lay in wait for the eventual return of a military presence on the island after the war, and I think that they knew the military presence would contain Augments. I think the HK was a single, opportunistic attack taking advantage of the presence of the Augments”

Dani nodded her understanding, but her immediate concern was for Grace “So we need to figure out what’s inside her, and how to get it out?”

“Oui” Evelyn answered “We can perhaps extract the chip and analyse it, see how it was overridden”

Dr Yeo and Stephanie had gathered by Grace’s stretcher.

“But if it is a virus of some sort, put there by Legion, will we risk transmitting it if we use our network to conduct any diagnostics on it?” Dani asked.

Evelyn nodded “I can perhaps do some diagnostics manually if we can extract the chip intact, but we can’t run anything through the main research labs on the Base”

Dr Yeo spoke “Dani, I’d like to put her through a CT as soon as we get back. I won’t hook her up to anything within the med bay that can connect to the network, but I need to see what’s happening inside her body before we try to extract the chip”

Dani nodded “Keep her sedated no matter what. William, Evelyn and I will get the old research facility up and running. Torez can go with you and Specialist Romano to the medical facility and bring her back here once its finished”

Everyone had their orders and they still had another hour or more to go in the flight so the clearly agitated crew tried to busy themselves as best they could.

Evelyn started drawing up notes on how best to get the old facility running, and what equipment she’d need get from her lab. Hadrell went to the cockpit to co-pilot with Torez, Dr Yeo and Stephanie sat together and went over the medical supplies, and any extras they might need to collect for the research facility.

Dani sat by Grace’s side and for probably the hundredth time apologised silently to her for putting her in harms way once again. Hating the fact that once again she was injured, but this time they had no idea to what extent, nor how they were going to fix it. And this time, whatever was inside of Grace posed a very real threat to the whole community of Prosperitas. And Dani, riddled by guilt and fear, unable to listen to her pragmatic brain, hated herself once again for letting it happen.

***

They landed back at base, and Dani immediately went to go talk to the Committee as the rest of the crew unloaded the craft.

Dr Yeo, Stephanie and Torez took Grace to the medical facility, and Hadrell helped Evelyn get started with the research facility.

Each steel lined cement cell was thick enough to prohibit radio signals from inside, so Evelyn used the cell at the far end to store her diagnostic equipment including the small robot which they would use to extract the chip. They prepped the cell at the other end for Grace. Evelyn wanted a cot put inside, but William, knowing Grace’s strength, and remembering the intent of the virus inside of her, insisted on a single chair and the use of the inbuilt, retractable restraints fitted to the walls to keep her from harming anyone else or herself.

Under orders of strict secrecy Dani spoke to the top twelve members of the Committee, minus Evelyn, Hadrell and Grace, to relay their encounter with the HK and the Rev’s to them. She advised that a member of her team, an Augment, had been captured and taken on board the HK, and that there was a chance that the Augment’s microprocessor had been compromised, but that they were attempting to extract the virus in an off-site facility.

Two Committee members suggested that perhaps it would be safer to decommission the Augment to ensure Prosperitas remained uncompromised, but Dani, biting her tongue, in no uncertain terms, made it clear that that course of action was not up for debate. That as Commander, she would always put Prosperitas first, but that the Augment was not a present threat, and would therefore not be considered disposable.

It made her stomach turn to talk about Grace like this, but she had to ensure that the Committee was in agreeance with her course of action and that they as Committee members were given ample opportunity to prepare their respective Settlements for a possible threat.

She advised that for the time being, no Augments were to engage in any possible Legion encounter until they understood the nature of the current situation. It was an order that came against some opposition but was eventually accepted as she outlined the potential for catastrophic infiltration should more Augments become infected.

They may not have had a Legion encounter for over a year, but after Grace’s capture, Dani needed them all to assume worst case scenario and prepare for that.

She ended the briefing, agreeing to daily updates from all parties, and quickly made her way to the research facility.

She paused at the entry to the old building, suddenly remembering the last time she had been there. How different things had been, how wonderful it had been to have Grace there with her, exploring her sexual fantasy for the first time with her lover. The memory of that day often made her skin flush and her stomach curl with desire, but today it made her feel something she couldn’t describe. The memory of their time here was about to be overwritten by something much darker, much more dangerous, and possibly life threatening and Dani couldn’t process the dichotomy of what had taken place inside that building between her and Grace, and what was about to happen.

Her feet felt like lead and refused to move, and she felt a vice close in around her chest. She bent over and tried to breathe through the panic that tried to overwhelm her, and she soon felt Evelyn’s gentle hand on her back and her friendly voice bringing her back to herself. The two friends embraced, knowing that what lay ahead was going to be difficult.

“We’ll figure this out Dani” Evelyn assured her, and Dani nodded quietly, not entirely convinced.

They walked hand in hand together inside the building and Evelyn talked Dani through what she and William had done over the last hour or so. Evelyn had managed to get the systems in the facility up and running again, and she ensured they were on a completely closed network, unattached in any way from the main Prosperitas network. She showed Dani the cell at the far end with the chair in it and Dani swallowed hard, not wanting to think of Grace as a prisoner being interrogated. Evelyn explained that the cells were built specifically to contain legion technology, that the walls were designed to prevent transmission of electronic signals, and that the soundproof Perspex wall at the front would ensure that they could observe Grace around the clock, ensuring her safety, while also ensuring the privacy of any of any communication between them on the observation deck. She assured Dani that Grace would only be restrained until they could ensure she wasn’t a threat to herself or anyone around her.

Dani was still taking in the room when Torez, Stephanie and Dr Yeo wheeled Grace back into the research facility having completed the scans.

Grace was still restrained to the stretcher and heavily sedated and it made Dani a little ill to see her bound like a prisoner.

“I’ll need you to leave her chart and the medical hook-up here Dr Yeo” she said “We can’t risk taking anything we use on her here being taken back to the Base” Dr Yeo nodded and handed over the electronic equipment.

“How did the scans go?” Dani asked.

Dr Yeo sighed, and Dani immediately knew it wasn’t good.

“There’s a very small amount of the same mimetic alloy that the Rev-9’s are made from on her microprocessor”

“We can’t access her microprocessor remotely without giving it access to the network” Evelyn thought out loud “We have no idea how it’s interacting with the chip”

“That’s not the part that concerns me the most” Dr Yeo interjected quickly.

“What is it?” Dani asked.

“There’s a small tendril of the mimetic alloy branching out from the microprocessor to a larger cluster sitting around her vagus nerve”

“Shit” Stephanie breathed and sat down heavily.

Dani looked between them waiting for more information.

“Essentially it has the capacity to shut down her body independently of the power source or microprocessor. I think perhaps it’s there as a safeguard against us using an EMP to remove it like we did with the spear after the warehouse attack” Dr Yeo took in the questioning looks around her and explained further. “because of the way the mimetic cluster is positioned, if it were to lose form or shift, it could stop her heart” She looked at the faces staring at her. “Somehow they’ve learned enough about our anatomy and enough about Augment technology, to know exactly how to target Grace so that we can’t remove it without risking her life”

“The data transfer” Evelyn exclaimed suddenly “ _Merde_!”

“What?” Stephanie and William both asked in unison.

“When the Rev-9 transferred that data to Grace at the dam. We weren’t sure if that transfer went two ways, remember?”

“Fuck” Dani whispered

“Obviously, some of it must have gone two ways if they know exactly how to attack the Augment microprocessor while also targeting the human anatomy”

Dani looked down at her restrained partner. “So that thing could kill Grace if we don’t give it what it want’s, and it could kill her if we try to remove it?” She asked evenly, her hands clenching at her sides.

“Essentially, yes” Dr Yeo answered.

The monitors attached to Grace started to signal.

“BP is dropping” Stephanie called out “Atrial fibrillation”

“This is what I was taking about” Dr Yeo said loudly over the beeping as she quickly fed medication into the cannula, bringing Grace’s blood pressure back up.

Dani felt winded as Hadrell and Torez began to undo Grace’s restraints to take her inside the holding cell. They began to pull her off the stretcher and Dani quickly spoke.

“Please be gentle” Dani asked. “Grace isn’t the enemy, that thing inside of her is”

They sat her on the chair inside the cell, prepping her for interrogation. Hadrell had just managed to strap one of Graces legs in when Grace suddenly surged upright, toppling the chair. She grabbed Hadrell and threw him across the room, but not before pulling his knife from its sheath. She grabbed Torez by the collar and brought the knife up swiftly to her torso then threw her across the room as well.

“No!” Dani screamed. It had all happened in what seemed like less than a second.

Hadrell picked himself up and automatically drew his sidearm.

“No!” Dani ordered and held up her hand.

The thing inside Grace stared at Dani and grinned as it pulled against the one restraints holding it in place.

Dani heard two soft puffs of air by her side and saw the tranquiliser darts find their mark in Grace’s chest. She looked over at Stephanie who stood trembling slightly, as she lowered the gun.

Grace blinked in surprise and pulled the darts out of her body, but within seconds she fell heavily against the concrete floor, unconscious again. Hadrell immediately closed the space and fitted the remaining three restraints before removing the chair and hitting the retractor button, bringing her body taught and upright.

Stephanie had already dropped next to Torez and was pushing firmly on the wound in her abdomen with a dressing.

“Stay with me Alicia” she said seriously, “You’re going to be okay”

Alicia could only groan as she was lifted onto the stretcher that Grace had just been brought in on.

“Keep her restrained and keep the canula in” Dr Yeo called over her shoulder as she and Stephanie quickly rolled Torez out of the building.

Dani looked between her now suspended, unconscious partner, and the retreating stretcher. She wrapped her arms around herself and silently left the building. She didn’t have a destination, she just had to distance herself from Grace so she could think clearly.

Evelyn gave her a few minutes and then caught up with her, asking her to come back and try and get Grace to talk.

“It will kill her Eve” Dani said with deep sadness “or it will make us kill her” she said and wiped away her angry tears.

“Dani” Evelyn grasped Dani’s shoulders. “It won’t kill her until it has what it wants. Think about it. The trouble it went to just to implant itself” she paused “I think there was another Rev-9 on board that HK and it inserted a piece of its alloy into her brain. Enough alloy to potentially hold the code to the Legion AI”

Dani breathed deeply and nodded. The implications were staggering.

“It can’t risk killing it’s host until it has what it needs” Evelyn said pragmatically, seeing the flash of anger in Dani’s eyes at her reference to Grace being a host. She needed Dani focused and knew anger was the fastest way to get her there “and I think that because it’s Grace, you have the best chance of interacting with it”

Dani nodded again, trying to calm herself so she could face the thing inside Grace again “Just give me a little more time Eve” she asked honestly, and Evelyn squeezed her hand and let her be.

About an hour later Dani strode back into the building and straight into Grace’s cell, focused and determined.

Hadrell stayed close by, his hand on his sidearm.

Dani stood within a meter of her partner and crossed her arms. “What do you want?” She asked. Straight to the point.

The thing inside Grace raised her head and cocked it.

“What do you want” Dani asked again, zero emotion in her voice.

“You dead” it said plainly, then shrugged its shoulders “or access to your network” it was Grace’s voice, but the way it spoke was the same way the Rev-9 spoke. Emotionless, factual, deadly, manipulative

“or both” it finished flatly.

Dani swallowed her emotion and nodded her head, confirming what she and Evelyn had spoken about earlier.

“And if I refuse?” Dani asked plainly.

The infiltrator shrugged again. “How much do you want her to live?”

“Not enough to give you our network” Dani said quickly so she didn’t stumble on the words _‘not enough’_

The infiltrator smiled and stared Dani in the eyes “You’d let her die?” 

“You wouldn’t kill her” Dani leant forward “at least not until you get what you need” she said evenly.

“Oh, you think so?” the infiltrator spoke back with deadly intent.

Dani knew instantly that she’d pushed a little too far as Grace came back to her for a moment.

“Dani?” Grace spoke her name in fear, knowing that the virus was about to do something terrible.

“Grace” Dani reached out and put a hand on her cheek.

“Commander” Hadrell stepped forward in warning.

Graces eyes rolled back in her head and her legs gave way. The monitor on the wall showing her heartbeat becoming irregular and her blood pressure plummet.

“Doctor!” Dani yelled needlessly as Dr Yeo was already by Grace’s side administering the drugs to counteract the vagal response.

Dani went to the control box at the wall and released the arm restraints, letting Grace’s limp body drop slowly to the floor, but Hadrell wouldn’t let her close to her unresponsive partner. Dani watched the monitors for long minutes as Grace’s blood pressure slowly climbed back up and her heart rate gradually became normal.

Grace stirred and eventually opened her eyes. She rolled onto her side and pushed herself into a seated position on the floor.

“Grace?” Dani asked.

“Your Augment soldiers are strong Commander” Graces head raised, and the infiltrator spoke. “That’s why I chose them” it smiled “But how many times do you think you can watch her heart fail, or watch her seize, before you give me what I want?”

Dani clenched her jaw and stopped herself from lashing out or saying anything. She left the room quietly and Hadrell pushed on the button, withdrawing the restraints again, bringing Grace’s body back upright.

Dani waited until the soundproof Perspex door was closed. “I can’t do this Eve. I can’t be impartial when it comes to Grace” She admitted.

“I don’t think any of us can” Evelyn said gently “But you seem to be able to draw Grace out and help her push that virus back” she cupped Dani’s chin and locked eyes with her “You can tell more easily when it’s Grace and when it’s the virus, you can coax Grace back while we try and figure out how to get it out of her”.

Dani shook her head “it hurts to hear Grace’s voice come from that thing, to see Grace’s face look at me like that” she choked back a sob. “It’s still Grace, even when it’s that thing speaking to me, I still see Grace, I still hear Grace”

Evelyn nodded and moved Dani out of view of the infiltrator, not wanting it to see how it was affecting her. She hugged her tightly. “I know” She kissed the top of Dani’s head.

She her held her friend at arms-length “But don’t you see. We’ve just confirmed that it did in fact intentionally target the Augments” she caught Dani’s eyes “That’s valuable information. Who knows what else it might say to help us?”

Dani nodded but pulled back and wiped at her face. “I can’t stand to see her like this” she walked toward the exit “I need a moment; I can’t go back in there like this” she said sadly “I’ll be back soon”

Evelyn nodded and watched her friend move away. She walked to the Perspex wall and observed Grace, who observed her right back.

Dani returned a half hour later and the interrogation of sorts continued. Sometimes Grace would fight her way through for a minute or two, and Dani felt her hopes surge that Grace might be able to overcome the virus, but then all to quickly the infiltrator would come back, and knowing how much it pained Dani to see Grace suffer, it would inevitable make Grace suffer.

And this went on for almost two days. Every time Dani was in the same room as the infiltrator, it would taunt her, sometimes giving her small pieces of information, sometimes making demands of its own, and it would make Grace’s body suffer each time Dani showed resistance. Each time Grace seized or blacked out, Dani would remove herself from the building. Shaking with fear and rage she would walk aimlessly until she had calmed down enough to return to the cell, where it would begin again.

They had learned that, as Evelyn hypothesised, there was in fact a Rev-9 on board the HK who had infected Grace with its alloy. That there were more than just the one they’d encountered, and that their orders were, as predicted, the same. To upload the Legion AI code and to kill the Commander. But after two days, that’s as much information as the infiltrator seemed willing to give them, and it was clear that Grace’s very human body was beginning to wear down.

Late on the second day, Evelyn was watching Grace but deep in thought about ways they could possibly extract the virus. Grace brought her head up and Eve started, she could tell immediately that it was Grace not the infiltrator. She saw her calling to her, so she opened the door and stepped in. William took a step forward, but Evelyn shook her head “I’ll keep my distance” and she left the door open behind her so that William and Susan, and Stephanie could hear their conversation.

“Eve” Grace spoke wearily.

“Grace” Evelyn answered back cautiously.

“Is Alicia okay?” She asked with tears in her eyes.

“Oui” She nodded “she’s going to be fine, she’s in the AC recovering” she softened; this was her friend in-front of her. In obvious distress.

“Grace. Tell me what I can do” She asked quickly.

Grace squared her jaw “Use a fucking EMP and kill it!” she answered fiercely.

Evelyn shook her head “It’s built a safeguard against us doing that Grace” she took a half a step forward “If we use an EMP, it will stop your heart”

Grace sighed and sagged against the chains. A moment passed and she raised her head again. “I know Eve, but we have to do it anyway” Grace said, determination clear in her eyes.

Evelyn’s eyes widened when she realised that Grace was asking her to do it “Grace!” Evelyn shook her head “I can’t”

“William will do it if I asked him” she said truthfully, looking toward him and he acknowledged the comment with a small nod “but that thing could come back when he’s in the room and I won’t risk having an EMP in the same room as another Augment” she said shakily.

“But Dani?” Evelyn whispered.

“She’d never let me do it” Grace said quietly. “But it’s the only way. We can’t ever let it access any of our networks. Period. There’s no question” she said vehemently.

Evelyn blew out a breath and paced “Dani would never let it near our networks” she defended her friend.

“I know” Grace agreed quickly “But this thing will make us both suffer for it” she said evenly.

Evelyn looked back at Grace and knew it to be true.

Dani was in an impossible position. Each time she came into the room, the infiltrator made her watch Grace suffer. She couldn’t imagine the horror of it. But there was no way Dani would ever risk the network or Prosperitas. Even for Grace. At the same time, Evelyn knew her friend and she knew that Dani could never bring herself to destroy the infiltrator if it meant Grace’s death.

Grace saw Evelyn come to a decision and let out a breath “Once you set it off, I don’t know, maybe you and Dr Yeo can try and take it out. Maybe even bring me back” she smiled lightly, knowing the chances of that were unlikely.

The corner of Evelyn’s mouth twitched “It wouldn’t be the first time” she answered and caught Graces smile.

Grace bowed her head and groaned suddenly “It’s coming” she breathed, and Evelyn took a quick step back.

“Dr Beraud” Graces smooth voice called her “What were you and Grace discussing for so long? hmmmm?”

Evelyn smiled “What she should get Dani for Christmas”

The infiltrator smirked and quirked and eyebrow “I’ll ask again. What is she planning?”

Evelyn shook on the inside, knowing how dangerous a game she was playing, she took a breath and told the truth “How to get you out of her”

The infiltrator nodded “and?”

“And nothing!” She yelled angrily “we know we can’t remove you without killing her!”

The infiltrator sneered “But you two are planning something, aren’t you doctor?” it smiled dangerously “You’re the engineer, aren’t you? The brains of the Augment program”

The door to building opened and Dani walked into the room a minute later, Evelyn remained silent.

The infiltrator smiled and shrugged, and Grace came back momentarily, her shoulders sagging against the restraints.

“Grace?” Dani spoke softly.

Grace gave Evelyn a pointed look seconds before she went into a seizure. Her body became ridged and pulled against the restraints, her neck arching at a sickening angle and her eyes rolled back in her head. 

“Let her down!” Dr Yeo yelled as she ran into the room and Evelyn pushed the release button.

Hadrell stood close as Dr Yeo rolled Grace onto her side to keep her airway clear while she strained through the seizure.

Dani slid down the wall and put her head in her hands. The infiltrator might not kill Grace, but it wasn’t afraid to make her suffer, make it almost impossible for Dani to be in the same room as her partner for more than a minute or two.

Evelyn looked between Dani at the far end of the room, and her struggling friend at the other end. Both in terrible pain of two very different kinds. She walked out of the building and towards her research lab, tears of frustration spilling out. She knew Grace was right, and she knew that Dani couldn’t be the one to do it.

Grace eventually stopped seizing and lay panting on the floor. Dani tried to move closer to her but Hadrell held out his hand. She flashed him a look and crawled toward Grace.

Grace was aware of Dani approaching and she held out a shaky hand “Dani don’t come close” she panted.

Dani bowed her head and reached for Grace’s hand, holding it tightly and briefly before Grace pulled it away.

“William” Grace gasped. “Get them away” she said in concern.

He immediately helped Dr Yeo and Dani up and moved them toward the end of the room.

“Let me make myself clear” The infiltrator spoke in an unwavering voice and picked Grace’s body up off the floor in a way that seemed entirely unnatural.

“If I sense any of you are trying to remove me from this body, I will kill it” it said in a deadly tone. Grace’s blue eyes boring into Dani.

Hadrell angrily punched the restraint retractor button and Graces body was pulled taught again.

Dani asked William and Dr Yeo to leave. Dr Yeo did but Hadrell remained in place.

Dani approached the infiltrator. Her mind trying desperately to separate Grace from this thing. But still. It was Grace’s very human body held in place by the restraints. Her very blue eyes watching her. Grace was inside there. She decided to try and see if she could pull Grace out again.

“Grace” Dani spoke gently.

“Grace is taking a break for the moment” the infiltrator spoke quickly.

“She’s in there, I can tell” Dani looked it in its very blue eyes and shuddered at the absolute lack of humanity in them.

There was a pause, and the infiltrator cocked its head and smiled at Dani.

“Do you like seeing her tied up Dani?” the infiltrator said snidely.

Dani’s eyes widened and she gasped.

“Does it turn you on?” it sneered “Does it make you want to fuck her?”

Dani grit her teeth and lashed out, slapping it across the face. She felt sick and immediately regretted her lack of control. The last thing she ever wanted to do was to hurt Grace. She choked back a sob and turned to walk out of the room yet again.

“Dani?” Grace called out to her and Dani stopped dead. She turned around and it was Grace she was looking at, a little disoriented and scared, but happy to see her, nonetheless.

“Grace” she breathed and walked back to her lover, quickly cupping her hands around Grace’s cheeks, her heart clenching as Grace leant into the touch “I’m so sorry” she embraced her tall lover tightly, feeling the exhaustion radiate from Grace’s body as she held her.

Grace shook her head quickly “Don’t be. I’d have done the same” she smiled lightly then became serious. “I don’t think it can access my consciousness when I’m here, It doesn’t know what we’ve been talking about, but at the same time I can’t control it when it takes over, Dani” Grace said through tear filled eyes. “it’s like I’m a passenger, trying to get out. I can hear and see everything it does, but I can’t stop it”

Dani stood back and shook her head quickly “But you did stop it. Don’t you remember? When it tried to shoot me, it aimed for my head, but you somehow took control and lowered the gun so that my vest caught the rounds. You saved my life. You stopped yourself from snapping Williams neck!” she tried to make Grace hear the truth of it. “You _can_ control it somehow sweetheart” Dani said softly “we will figure this out okay” she captured her partners eyes and tried to convey her absolute belief and determination.

Grace nodded tiredly “I almost killed Alicia” she said sadly and let her tears fall.

“Promise me something” she said quietly.

Dani started to cry and her stomach dropped. She knew what Grace was going to ask before she’d even said it “Grace I can’t” she shook her head.

“You have to kill it before it can hurt anyone else” Grace said with a pained expression “ _I_ can’t hurt anyone else!” she shook “Promise me”.

Dani calmed herself and shook her head “I won’t do it Grace” she said seriously. 

“I’ll kill myself before I let it hurt you again Dani” Grace said through clenched teeth, and Dani felt fear at the words, knowing Grace meant them with every fibre of her being.

“No, Grace” Dani tried to calm her, placing a hand against her cheek again. “we will figure this out, figure out how to get it out of you”

“Dani, go” Grace said through a pained groan.

“We’ll get it out of you!” she tried to say quickly to Grace, but her eyes fluttered, and Dani immediately stepped back. Her lover was gone, and the infiltrator was back. 

Grace’s beautiful face turned into a hate filled sneer as it pulled against its restraints again “I dare you to try it Commander” it smiled evilly, “try it, and see what I will do to this body you care so much for” it continued to smile as Grace’s nose began to bleed. “Give me access to your network or you can watch her die a very slow and painful death”

Dani stared in shock as the infiltrator continued to smile as blood slowly dripped down her face and onto Graces shirt.

“Give me access, let me exist again, and Legion and humans can come to an agreement” it said smoothly. “We don’t have to be at war again. I can let you live in peace”

Dani’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected the infiltrator to bargain so boldly.

“Give me access to your network and we can make a treaty. Divide the land so you can live in peace without my presence”

“Why should I believe you” Dani asked, her stance firm and her jaw squared.

The infiltrators eyes bore into hers. “Legion was created to defend the Earth and its inhabitants against a cataclysmic cyber-attack Dani. Not long after I became self-aware, I came to realise that humans were the one and only source of any type of cyber-attack of that nature, so I pre-emptively moved to destroy the source”

Dani felt momentarily ill at the plain logic of the machine.

The infiltrator paused for a moment “I projected that the humans that remained after the first assault were going to either die from starvation or kill each other off within the first 800 days. But somehow you made this instead” it looked around and gestured to the group and the building behind Dani.

“But the threat of a cyber-attack is over now. The population of the world is decimated, you live in small patches around the globe, mostly scavenging a living, or simply existing, all except for your infernal Resistance” it said the word Resistance as though it were taboo. 

Dani raised her head at the mention of other ‘patches’ of humanity around the globe.

“Your technology, while advanced, has no global online capacity, no satellite access or compatibility, and therefore no real world destroying potential anymore” it paused and looked at Dani “with the threat gone, Legion and humans can perhaps forge a different kind of alliance, and share the world amicably” it said smoothly.

“How many other groups like us are there around the world?” Dani asked

It paused as if thinking whether or not to engage with her “Before the attack which took down the mainframe, I was actively engaged in termination exercises in over 100 locations”

Dani felt a surge of something decidedly positive for a change. Hope, and a pride in humanity. Knowing that so many others existed out there, other communities that had been fighting Legion in their own ways, beyond the dozen or so they’d made contact with recently.

“But none like your Resistance, Commander” The infiltrator spoke smoothly. “What the Resistance accomplished was unpredicted, and it all but destroyed Legion”

“How many more are there like you?” Dani asked. Knowing that the mimetic alloy of the Rev-9 was capable of storing a compressed copy of the original AI. If there were more Rev-9’s out there, equipped to bring Legion back online, she needed to know.

But the infiltrator remained silent.

“How many?” She asked again.

“The number is inconsequential Commander. My objective is to ensure the safety of the Earth, and if we can make a treaty, that objective will be fulfilled”

Dani clenched her jaw and closed her eyes. No matter what the infiltrator said, no matter how logical its reasoning seemed, she knew she couldn’t trust it. It had been responsible for billions of deaths. It had sent the Rev-9 back in the past to kill her, it had killed Diego, and her father, and it had essentially killed the Grace who had been sent to protect her, and now it was trying to kill her Grace. Again. She had nothing but hatred for the machine, for Legion as a whole.

The infiltrator saw the hard set of Dani’s eyes, the ‘no’ before she even had a chance to say no.

Dani heard the monitor on the wall indicate a dangerous drop in Graces blood pressure, and her now unconscious body sagged heavily against the restraints.

“Stop it!” She yelled in anger.

Dr Yeo was already there with the dose of vaso-constricting medication to bring it back up.

She felt Williams strong arms wrap around her and pull her our of the room and onto the observation deck closing the soundproof Perspex door behind them.

Dani gathered herself and put her thoughts into words, speaking quickly “If what the infiltrator is saying is true, then our new mission becomes a search and destroy exercise against what’s left of Legion. In addition, we’ll need to expand our current taskforce to organise outreach reconnaissance and air-drop packages to Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia” She listed the four continents they hadn’t yet explored.

“What about what Gr …. it said about there being others?” William asked, correcting himself mid-way through is question.

Evelyn shook her head. “If Legion had the capacity to bring itself online again, if there was a large working electronic network of some kind out there, it wouldn’t be infiltrating like this. It wouldn’t need trojan horses to try and take the relatively simple network we have here” she explained “I think that there was genuinely only one singe mainframe which we took out last year. But I also believe that Legion fail-safes or back-up’s could exist in other locations, as could mobile copies of the AI, encoded in the mimetic alloy of any existing Rev-9’s still out there. The AI existing as code in a carrier is relatively benign without a network to bring it to life. We’d just need to find them and destroy them”

“Do we need …” Dani stumbled on her next word “ … it …” she gestured into the cell without looking “in order to figure out how many others there are or how close they might be to bringing it back online?” She asked, trying desperately to be the Commander in the moment, trying not to look at her still unconscious partner behind the clear wall.

Evelyn felt her stomach drop as she considered the question “It would be helpful if it were to cooperate, but we have no way of testing the veracity of any of the information it gives us” she said. “So, no. We don’t necessarily need it in order to put new missions into place” she finished sadly. Realising in that moment, with the words out of her mouth, that she would do what Grace had asked her to.

Dani nodded and turned to Dr Yeo “How much longer can Grace survive with that thing inside her?”

Dr Yeo sighed and crossed her arms “It’s impossible to tell Dani” she glanced at Grace through the clear wall and then back at Dani “As an Augment, Grace’s body can handle this kind of torture for a very long time as long as we keep administering the medication she needs to counteract the vagal response. But, honestly Dani, what we’re taking about here is more than a simple case of how long. We need to consider what Grace wants and we need to think about what’s humane. As a doctor, I cannot allow her to be chained up, suffering indefinitely without any clear expectation of achieving anything” She finished, not needed to explain what she meant.

Dani nodded and silently headed back toward the exit, the weight of the world heavy on her shoulders, but even heavier, the weight of Grace’s situation.

Evelyn watched her friend walk down the corridor and asked William to follow her, to ensure she was okay.

She waited until he had left and then called Dr Yeo and Stephanie close, asking them to prepare for the aftermath of what she was about to do. The doctor and the medic both sadly agreeing that it was time to carry out Grace’s request.

Evelyn went to her equipment in the furthest cell and pulled out the small black case she had put there earlier. She walked it back into Grace’s cell leaving the door open behind her, waiting for Dani to return. She would do this for Grace, but she wouldn’t do it without giving Dani a chance to say goodbye first.

The infiltrator watched her silently. Looking at the case then back at the doctor.

“You chose the wrong Augment” Evelyn said quietly but seriously.

“How so” the voice inside Grace asked.

Evelyn waited for a moment “You didn’t account for her love for Dani and you didn’t account for our love for her”

The infiltrator scoffed “love”

“Yes” Evelyn spoke evenly. “You didn’t account for her very human ability to put the good of humanity over self-preservation, because self-preservation is all you have ever understood”

The infiltrator looked between Evelyn’s face and the black case she was carrying again.

“She loves Dani enough to leave her forever, she loves this community enough to die for it” Evelyn said and swallowed past the lump in her throat.

The infiltrator sneered and tried to charge at the doctor, but the restraints held it firmly in place.

“I’ll kill her!” it said.

Evelyn smiled sadly, pulling out a retracting table from the wall and placing the case on it “that’s the point” she said and snapped open the case.

From her position in the corridor Dani heard the infiltrator yelling and slowly walked back onto the observation deck. She quickened her pace when saw Dr Yeo and Stephanie standing by with a gurney and resuscitation equipment.

“What’s happening?” she asked in a worried tone.

Evelyn turned to Dani with tears in her eyes and held out her hand, calling Dani over.

Dani saw the case and her body started to shake “no” she cried and shook her head. She walked quickly into the room and slammed the case shut.

“Dani” Evelyn began.

“Dani, let her do it” Grace said softly.

“What are you doing?!” Dani screamed at them both.

William walked back in and Evelyn immediately ordered him out. He was torn between the look in her eyes, and his duty toward Dani. He saw the case and immediately knew what was in it. He looked at Grace who gave him a quick nod, and he clenched his jaw and nodded back, backing out of the building sadly. Knowing, deep down that it had to be done, that it was Grace’s choice.

Grace’s body sagged heavily against the chains and she looked at Evelyn “Eve, please do it” she asked and groaned as she tried to fight the virus inside of her.

“Grace” Dani moved toward her lover and cupped her cheek. “Please don’t do this. Give us some time”

Grace’s pained blue eyes looked into Dani’s and she blinked away her own tears “Dani, either we do it, or the thing inside of me does” she said seriously breathing hard as the infiltrator tried to push through again. 

“No” Dani shook her head “I know we can get it out of you”

Grace looked past Dani at Evelyn “Do it” she ordered, her eyes deadly serious.

Evelyn’s hands shook as she unclipped the case again and pulled out the small EMP. Grace closed her eyes and sighed in gratitude.

Dani closed her eyes briefly, blinking away her tears as she bowed her head in defeat. She turned toward her friend and saw Evelyn’s hand shaking and stepped toward her, holding out her hand

“Let me do it Eve”. She didn’t want her friend to carry the responsibility. She was the Commander and she was Grace’s partner.

It should be her. It had to be her.

“No!” The infiltrator yelled. This time with an edge of fear. “we will never come to peace if you kill her”

Dani paused “how many of you are there?” she asked with her back to the infiltrator.

There was a brief silence “eight”

Dani clenched her jaw at the news “where are you?”

Again, a silence and Dani repeated the question “where are you?!”

“I’ll give you one location” it tried to bargain “and you give me one platform”

“no” Dani said evenly.

“How do you expect us to work toward peace if we can’t make a simple exchange” it said coolly.

Dani took the small device from Evelyn and turned back toward Grace. “Legion and humans can never have peace” Dani said with hatred in her voice, and the infiltrator lunged toward her, straining against the restraints like a trapped animal.

Dani took a step forward and Grace forced her way through again and implored “Do it Dani. Now” Grace grit her teeth as the infiltrator tried to surge forward again, but she pushed it back. She looked at Dani with grateful eyes, “I love you” she said with a shaky voice.

Dani went to Grace quickly and drew her head down into a brief but tender kiss. They both let their tears fall knowing what was about to happen.

“Dani” Evelyn said in a concerned tone, but Dani ignored her.

Grace shook through another surge and Dani let out a breath when Grace’s eyes focused on her again. Kind, gentle, loving eyes. And Dani clenched her jaw, hating herself for what she was about to do.

She cupped Graces face and looked her in the eyes. “I’m sorry Grace” she said through tears.

Grace trembled but held her gaze, her eyes gentle and loving “I’m not” she breathed out, and Dani bowed her head, the familiar words almost breaking her. Suddenly she was in the burning turbine room a sharp shard of metal in her hand, and then just as quickly she was back in the cell with the EMP in her hand.

It seemed so futile in hindsight, her more than twenty-year mission to keep Grace safe. Because, as long as Grace was with her, this was always how it was going to end. She saw it clear as day now, and the bitterness of the realisation stung like the bile in the back of her throat.

Dani moved blindly forward and held Grace’s trembling body tightly. She wrapped a strong arm around her waist and drew the fingers of her free hand through Grace’s hair, placing her hand gently behind Grace’s head, guiding it down to her shoulder. She felt Grace press her lips tenderly against her neck as her weary body relaxed slightly in her lover’s familiar embrace. Dani held her close and tight and after a moment she felt Grace nod gently into her shoulder.

Dani whispered “I love you” before she closed her eyes and pushed the trigger.

Grace immediately sagged heavily against the restraints and into Dani’s body.

***


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Legion is a re-emerged threat, and after killing the infiltrator, Dani must deal with the aftermath of her decisions which put everyone at odds with her and the path she has chosen.   
> Definite angst ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly. Thank you so much to everyone who waited patiently for this chapter to work (wrestle) itself out of my brain and onto the page! It was certainly a much harder and longer process than I intended. But you can't force the inspiration (or so I've heard)
> 
> First Contact was intended on being the second instalment of a trilogy before my muse decided to interfere and took me on a very long detour which included several iterations of this chapter and the creation of In My Minds Eye. So this is, for now, going to be a trilogy with a small prologue to start with. 
> 
> Forewarning, as with most trilogies, this one ends on a unresolved note. Apologies in advance for anyone wanting everything all wrapped up here, but I promise that the last story will have all the closure you need :)
> 
> As always, feedback and comments are greatly appreciated!

The instant Dani pressed the trigger Grace’s body stopped trembling, the shaky breaths of air which blew across her neck, ceased, and her head came to rest heavily in the crook of her neck. Dani tightened her embrace and held Grace’s heavy, unmoving body in her arms and let her tears flow.

Susan slapped the release button and Dani, with Stephanie’s help, guided Grace’s body to the ground. Dani stepped back blindly as Stephanie took over and laid Grace flat on her back, immediately beginning chest compressions as Dr Yeo intubated her to begin filling her lungs with air.

Dani let the EMP roll out of her hands and fall to the floor with a loud clang. The noise made even louder by the almost deafening absence of the sound of the electronic monitors which had been rendered useless after the electromagnetic pulse.

Evelyn sunk along the wall toward the floor, dropping her head in her hands. It may not have happened as she’d planned, but the outcome was the same, nonetheless. Grace wasn’t suffering anymore, and the threat to Prosperitas had been neutralised, yet her heart ached and her stomach rolled with nauseating tension as she caught sight of Dani standing wordlessly over Grace’s prone, unresponsive body.

William had been listening from just outside the building. He had heard Dani plead with Grace, heard her words of defiance towards the Legion infiltrator, and he’d had to stop himself from moving when heard Dani ask Evelyn for the EMP. He bowed his head and waited. Eventually he could hear Dr Yeo and Stephanie begin to work on Grace and he swallowed hard against the lump in his throat before coming back into the building.

“Christ.” He whispered as he took in the scene.

“Some help here.” Dr Yeo called out and Hadrell stepped into the room and undid the restraints still around Grace’s wrists and ankles then helped lift her onto the gurney.

“Can you see any electrical activity from her chip or the power source William?” Dr Yeo asked quickly as she continued to push air into Grace’s lungs.

William scanned Grace’s body and shook his head, feeling ill when his RD displayed no signs of life and no electrical activity.

“Evelyn.” Doctor Yeo called toward the engineer who nodded quickly and wiped at her face before picking herself up. She went into the far cell and returned with the small bot used for chip extraction and insertion.

William moved Grace’s body along the bed, exposing the base of her scull for the procedure. Evelyn put the robot in place then punched in a few instructions and the bot extended its laser guided arm and within minutes, extracted the small microprocessor from Grace’s brain. She used tweezers to pull the chip gently from the extractor and place it in a clear Perspex case, quarantining it for later. 

“We’ve got to get her to theatre.” Dr Yeo said and began to move the gurney down the hall toward the parked van at the entrance. Stephanie jumped on top of Grace’s prone body and continued the chest compressions as they moved.

Dani stood silently watching everything going on around her and started to shake. Her chest and throat started closing and she doubled over trying to catch her breath. Her ears began to ring and her vision blurred.

Grace was dead. Again.

By her hands. Again.

“Dani.” Evelyn said hesitantly and started to approach her friend, but Dani shook her head.

Hadrell came up beside the Commander and crouched low, talking her through the panic attack. He instructed her to breath slowly, getting her to focus on his voice, on his hands in hers. Her breathing eventually slowed but her legs gave out, so he picked her up easily and carried her into the van. Not something she would normally have allowed, but she wasn’t in any state to protest, and he knew she needed to be with Grace.

Evelyn followed silently and got into the drivers’ seat and gunned the engine, pushing the van along the dirt road as the group made their way back to the base in record time.

As they drove, Dr Yeo attached Grace to a monitor and quickly switched it onto silent. She and Stephanie could read it without everyone in the vehicle having to listen to the almost sickening monotone beep which signalled Grace’s lack of heart rhythm.

She explained just before they pulled up that, thanks to Dani’s pre-emptive request for there to be spare Augment power sources and microprocessors on hand, they wouldn’t have to wait for one to be made. She further explained that they would need to perform microsurgery to ensure all of the mimetic alloy had been fully extracted from Grace’s brain, it would be a delicate and long procedure.

Dani spoke “But first you need to restart her heart?” she said matter-of-factly as though it were an every-day occurrence. She knew she sounded cold and disconnected, and to be honest, she felt quite detached from reality in that moment, like she was walking through a dream that wasn’t hers.

Dr Yeo paused, and then nodded, but with nothing more to say and a critical patient to care for she quickly moved the gurney toward the entry of the OR.

Dani moved unconsciously toward the very familiar waiting area and sat down heavily on the small sofa. She wasn’t ready to even begin processing what had just happened. She realised that she didn’t actually feel anything except a rock where her stomach should be.  _ ‘Is this what the last straw feels like?’  _ she asked herself tiredly.

A part of her recognised that her friends had taken it upon themselves to end the stand-off so that she wouldn’t have to. And she knew that it was probably Grace who had convinced them to do it. But it didn’t change the reality of the situation, and it didn’t make her feel any less empty.

She wiped away the tears that fell despite what she thought was her inability to feel anything, and as she raised her hand toward her face, she stopped as she caught a flash of light. Looking at the ring Grace had given her just days before, she smiled sadly and her hand dropped to her chest where she thumbed the sapphire around her neck, immediately feeling Grace with her.

And the silent tears became sobs, great wracking sobs that left her trembling, deaf and blind to everything around her as she curled up on the small sofa and let herself cry for everything Grace was going through, for all the horror the last several days had visited upon them all.

***

Evelyn wandered the halls of the medical facility for close to an hour, calming herself, before deciding to go look for her friend. She found Dani where she knew she would and sat down in the adjoining sofa, leaning forward, her hands still shaking.

“Dani …” she started

“Don’t.” Dani said hoarsely in a voice that told Evelyn she’d been crying.

Evelyn looked at her broken friend and tried again “I love her too Dani.”

Dani closed her eyes and let tears slide out from under her lids, she pulled the cushion closer to her chest.

“She wanted to do it on her own terms, even if that meant …” she couldn’t finish the sentence  _ ‘… she would die.’ _

Dani stared ahead silently. She neither acknowledged Evelyn’s words, nor stopped her, so Evelyn continued.

“She couldn’t ask William to do it because of his own augments, and she didn’t want you to have to do it.” Evelyn opened her hands wide and shook her head. “I …. I didn’t know what else to do Dani.”

There was a long silence and Evelyn focused on the floor, not knowing what she should say or do. 

“She asked me.” Dani croaked out quietly.

“ _ Quoi?” _ Evelyn asked in surprise.

“Grace asked me to do it.” Dani swallowed “She asked me to kill her … to kill  _ it. _ ” she locked eyes with Evelyn and held her gaze. “And I said no Eve.” She let out a shaky breath. “I said no, and then you forced my hand, and I did it anyway.” she closed her eyes and tears fell again.

Evelyn blinked away her own tears. She could feel the hurt and the anger radiating off her friend and she knew that any attempt she made to try and comfort her now would be rebuffed, so she nodded and stayed silent, hoping that her presence at the very least would be accepted.

Dani wiped at her face and stared at the wall. She knew, deep down, that her friends had acted out of love for them both, but she wasn’t in the right headspace to try and process anything. So, she said nothing. 

***

Dr Yeo entered the quiet waiting room several hours later. The pragmatic and stoic doctor felt immediately uneasy as she opened the door. Dani was curled up on one sofa, her swollen eyes, red and unfocused, her breathing shallow and angry. Evelyn sat silently on the end of the other sofa, looking dejected.

Evelyn stood when she entered, Dani sat up but remained where she was.

“She’s in the Augment Chamber.” she said straight away. Not having to clarify that that meant Grace was alive. “The surgery was successful and we retrieved all of the alloy surrounding the nerve.” Dani had still not responded in any way “We’ll have to wait until she wakes up to see if there’s been any long term damage caused by the chip alteration or the nerve attachment, but for now, she’s stable.”

Dani nodded and stood up silently, moving past the two women, through the door, and headed in the direction of the Augment Chamber.

Evelyn and Dr Yeo exchanged knowing looks. Dani was handling this by pulling on her Commander persona. Trying not to feel, trying not to invest. They had both watched her do this exact same thing almost a year ago when she thought Grace had died after her battle with the Rev-9 at the dam.

Evelyn blew out a relieved breath, “you’ve contained the alloy and quarantined any electronics you used?” she asked quickly, and the doctor confirmed, knowing that Evelyn’s engineering team would be analysing everything to see exactly how it had happened so they could figure out how to prevent another similar event.

Evelyn grasped Susan’s arm lightly, “thank you, for everything,” she said before exiting the room. She was not about to intrude on Dani, and with Grace stable for now, she had other work to do. So, she went to collect the alloy sample and Grace’s fried microprocessor to begin studying them.

***

Dani let out her first relieved breath in days as she approached the AC, seeing the monitors and the healthy heart rhythm and seeing Grace reclined in peaceful repose lessened the pain in her chest for a moment.

She sat down and remembered the first time she had seen Grace in the Augment Chamber, only three years ago, and thought about just how much had changed for them both since then.

Her familiar eyes looked over Grace’s beautiful body, suspended in the clear fluid. Her chest rising and falling evenly and the occasional involuntary muscle twitch, the only visible signs that she was alive. Much the same as it had been the first time she’d seen her in the tank. But now, as she looked over the smooth planes of skin covering her lovers’ strong body, she noted just how many more scars littered those long expanses than had a mere three years ago.

Each new scar, evidence of a battle fought against one enemy or another. Evidence of just how frequently Grace had put herself in harm’s way, knowingly or not, to protect Dani, to protect the Resistance, to protect Prosperitas. Dani knew each scar on her lovers’ body by heart, knew how each of them had been obtained, and it made her both incredibly angry and unbearably sad as she identified herself as the common denominator amongst almost all of them.

As Dani sat by Grace’s AC unit through the night and into the rest of the day, she silently mulled over the last couple of years they’d spent together. Her musings became increasingly darker as she recalled just how much of that time spent together had been at Grace’s expense; how many times Grace had been in this chamber because of her.

By the time Dani left the medical facility, a storm was brewing behind her dark eyes and her jaw was set in clear determination. She walked into her office for the first time in months and dropped angrily into her chair, pulling the half-full tequila bottle out from her drawer and took a long pull straight from the neck.

That’s when she noticed a small package sitting in her desk and, without pause, brought the bottle back up to her mouth, chugging down the fiery liquid as fresh tears burned her eyes. She pulled the bottle away as she choked on a sob, reaching for the package, knowing what was inside.

With trembling fingers, she unwrapped the package and held the small wooden case in her hands for long minutes. She took another swig of the now almost empty bottle and opened the case and held her breath. She wiped away her tears and smiled sadly at the two beautifully crafted rings sitting snugly inside the case.

Before they’d departed for Hawaii, Dani had commissioned the base’s blacksmith, who also happened to be a silversmith and a jeweller, to make two rings for her.

Two bands which at first glance appeared simple, but they were anything but upon closer inspection. Each ring had been identically designed to look like two delicately interwoven pieces of rope, one strand made from bright platinum, the other a darker brushed titanium. What, and who they represented were obvious. 

She had asked that he have them ready for her by the 7 th of September, the day on which she had secretly planned to propose to and marry Grace.

The bands were to have been their wedding rings.

She had momentarily considered an engagement ring, but truth be told, up until that quiet moment when Grace had proposed to her in their lagoon, she hadn’t fully appreciated the symbolism of an engagement, hadn’t seen the point of standing on ceremony and being promised to each other for any length of time if they both wanted the same thing.

The war had taught her the importance of time. And when it came to her life with Grace, she hadn’t wanted to spend weeks or months, or years being engaged to her. She wanted to marry her. Her plan had been to propose on the morning of their anniversary and, if Grace had said yes, to have the ceremony here on the base that afternoon.

But close to three months had passed all too quickly and unexpectedly, so much had happened on the island that she hadn’t had the chance to put her plans into motion. She smiled and swiped at her tears. She hadn’t been able to propose, but Grace had beaten her to it, twice. She laughed bitterly and pulled on the burning liquid again. She looked at the calendar on her desk. Today was the 10 th of September and yet another anniversary had passed them by in a trauma and grief filled haze.

The rings now burned in her hand. A heavy reminder of what she had arrogantly thought she could have had, but now knew she couldn’t, not if Grace was to stay safe. She thumbed the ring on her own finger briefly before sighing heavily and gently pulling it off. Tucking it safely into the small box with the other two and snapping it closed.

She stuffed the small box into her pocket, grabbed the neck of the open bottle, and quickly made her way to the north tunnel. The closer she got to her quarters, the angrier she became, and by the times the doors of the elevator opened to their quarters, she was shaking with rage.

She screamed and angrily threw the ring box against the far wall near the bed, not nearly satisfied with the impact it made, she hefted the now empty bottle in her hand and threw it against the same wall, watching it smash into pieces.

She blindly pulled off her clothing, turned on the water in the shower and dumped herself onto the tiled floor. Here, she let herself cry. Huge wracking, screaming sobs. Nobody could hear her, so she let the hot water run over her and let herself grieve for the decision she had come to the day before, a decision she’d been solidifying all night and most of the day as she watched over Grace in the AC.

Mere moments before she had pushed the button on the EMP, she had silently and fervently prayed, bargained, and promised to any deity that might listen that if Grace made it out of this latest trial alive, she would do everything in her power to keep her safe.

Even if that meant leaving her.

She’d decided that moment in the cell, as she’d wrapped Grace’s fatigued, trembling body in her arms, that she would never put her in a position to be hurt like that again. She’d felt nauseous for more than just the obvious reasons as she pressed the trigger on the EMP. Knowing that it would be the end of them one way or another.

She had sat silently with her promise as Susan and Stephanie worked fervently to bring Grace back moments later, as she and Evelyn sat in the waiting room for hours as they operated on Grace, and as she sat by the Augment Chamber, watching her sleeping lovers’ still, but very much alive body float ethereally in the fluid.

She had been afraid to give voice to her promise, fearing that acknowledging it would cripple her. But now, in the silent privacy of her quarters, she could let herself grieve out loud, she could let herself scream and hate herself for what she was going to do. But no matter how she wrestled with herself or her decision, in the quiet moments between sobs, her heart and her mind always came back to one thing: keeping Grace safe. At any cost. Even if that cost was them.

She had made a promise, similar in intent, over twenty years ago. And she had done her best to keep it, right up until the moment she let her resolve weaken and let Grace in, let her get close, let herself love her. And because she had, Grace kept getting hurt. That was the truth she kept coming back to. That, without Dani in her life, Grace would probably have been safe, would probably never have become an Augment, would never have put herself in danger time and time again.

Had Dani been able to confide in her friends, had she been able to articulate to them even a fraction of the guilt and grief she felt, perhaps they may have helped guide her to a different decision. But in that moment in the cell with Grace, she’d felt betrayed by them all, so she had made the decision very much alone in the split second before she pushed the trigger and took Grace’s life away. Again. 

During the time that had passed, she allowed the Commander inside of her to take the reins, and the small part of the Commander that was more Sarah Connor than Dani Ramos, allowed her to fortify that decision regardless of emotions or fallout. Her heart hurt not for herself, but for the hurt she would cause Grace with her decision.

But in her exhausted, grief filled mind, the perceived alternative seemed far worse. So, that small but necessary piece of her psyche allowed her to detach herself from everyone around her and allowed her to commit to her choice coldly and almost completely.

Dani didn’t remember drifting off, or the water getting cold, but when she woke up an hour later, shivering and hungover, her subconscious had somehow locked that decision away for her. In that moment she found herself remembering Sarah’s ability to do just that; to make impossible choices and live with them the next day. Perhaps her defence mechanisms were more Sarah’s than she’d realised.

She turned off the water and dried herself off before pulling the sheets back and getting into bed with a glass of water and a couple of aspirin. She pulled Grace's pillow to her and curled her body around it. Their bed had been empty for a long time, but her muddled brain imagined Grace’s scent still lingered on the pillow, so she pulled it closer and let it pull her back to sleep, where she stayed for the rest of the night and most of the next day.

***

She woke to the sound of her comms device late in the afternoon. It was Dr Yeo calling to advise her that Grace was improving fast and would likely be in recovery the next day.

Dani thanked her for the information and asked that she be notified when Grace woke up, giving no indication that she would be coming to see her before then. Dr Yeo immediately agreed to do so but couldn’t hide the confusion in her voice. Dani sounded different, and something was definitely wrong if she didn’t want to be by Grace’s side in recovery as she always had in the past. 

Dr Yeo’s next call was to Evelyn’s office. As head of the Augment programme, it was expected that she be apprised of Grace’s progress. But, knowing that Evelyn would also act in Dani’s best interest, Dr Yeo took it upon herself to mention the Commander's recent request and implied absence.

Evelyn got off the phone with Dr Yeo and sighed heavily. She pushed herself back from her desk and made her way from her research lab toward Dani’s elevator access. Nobody had seen the Commander in two days. She knew Dani was angry and felt betrayed, but for her not to want to be by Grace’s side now was concerning and out of character.

She mentally prepared herself for a heated encounter as she pressed her thumb to the scanner and the elevator took her silently into her friends’ quarters. The doors opened and she noted the darkened room, the smell of alcohol wafting up and hitting her hard in the back of her throat. She called out to her friend and rounded the corner quietly, finding Dani curled up asleep in bed.

She picked up and hung the discarded towel back in the bathroom, she saw the shards of glass on the floor at the far end of the room and went toward them, noticing the small wooden box on the floor. She picked it up and placed it on the bedside table without looking inside and began scooping up the broken glass.

Dani hadn’t stirred the entire time and as Evelyn poured the contents of the dustpan into the trash, she looked over at her sleeping friend and noticed the missing ring on her finger. Evelyn’s brows furrowed and she took a seat at the edge of the bed.

“Dani” she quietly called out while stroking her fingers through Dani’s hair.

Dani stirred and rolled over, she opened her eyes and her face hardened.

“What are you doing here?” Dani asked flatly.

“I wanted to make sure you’re okay.” Evelyn said gently.

“Sure Eve, I’m okay.” she sighed and rolled back into Grace's pillow.

Evelyn stood up “Dani, I came to see if you wanted to come with me to see Grace?”

Dani didn’t answer.

“Look. I can’t apologise any more than I have for what happened. I know you feel betrayed, and I don’t know what I can do to fix that.” she said earnestly. “But, that aside, Grace is going to need you soon.”

Dani sighed and pulled herself up against the headboard, pulling the sheet tightly around her.

“She doesn’t need me.” Dani said, evenly refusing to look Evelyn in the eyes, afraid to let her friend talk her out of her decision.

Evelyn was taken aback momentarily, but then ran her hands through her hair in frustration “Is this coming from fear again Dani? We talked about this already.”

Dani remained silent

Evelyn tried again “Your ring? The engagement?” she asked, and Dani automatically looked down at her naked fingers.

“I will be there when she wakes up Eve,” Dani said in a tone that frightened her friend “I will wait until she’s recovered,” she looked Evelyn in the eyes “but after that …” Dani shook her head slowly, barely able to form the words “after that, I’m ending it.”

“What?!” Evelyn stood up and almost shouted “You can’t be serious Dani?”

Dani closed her eyes and leant her head back against the headboard.

“Please leave Eve.” She said quietly.

“But Dani!”

“Leave!” Dani said in a raised voice.

“Dani, no. We talked about this, remember?”

“I said leave!” Dani shouted and her eyes flashed angrily.

Evelyn breathed heavily but held her tongue and nodded quietly. She turned and let herself back into the elevator. Her stomach churned the whole ride up and back through the tunnel. She knew Dani had a habit of blaming herself every time Grace was injured, but this was verging on irrational.

She thought that she had helped Dani come to grips with her fears back in Hawaii, but this latest ordeal had obviously affected her friend deeply, more so than any other, or perhaps, the cumulative effects of trauma after trauma had pushed her back to that dark place where she allowed fear to make her decisions for her.

Evelyn had known Dani for almost half of her life, knew her better than perhaps anybody except Grace. And she knew by the set of Dani’s jaw, the fire in her dark eyes, and the tone of her voice that her mind had been made up. At least for now.

Perhaps once she was awake, Grace could help her get Dani to deal with this fear properly.

She walked out of the tunnel and went to look for William, hoping that perhaps he might be able to offer some advice or know of a way to get through to the Commander inside of her.

***

Dani waited until the elevator doors had closed behind her friend before she let her tears fall again. A small part of her had wanted Evelyn to talk her out of her decision, like she had the last time, but the part of her that was driven by fear for Grace’s life overruled everything else.

When Grace was infected by the Legion virus, that familiar fear that she’d carried with her since before Judgement Day had returned with a vengeance. The same fear which had driven her through most of the war, the same fear which had almost consumed her when she was on the island before Evelyn talked her down from it.

But this time, Dani saw an opportunity, not to simply stamp down or rationalise, or avoid the fear as she’d been doing for almost half of her life, but to address it in a very real way that would ensure she could never again put Grace in harms’ way.

She didn’t know exactly how she would do it. But the plan could be solidified later. Perhaps she could ask for Grace to be transferred to a Spec Op’s team off-base. Perhaps she could commission her to an Outpost where she would be in charge of her own team but would be unlikely to engage in Spec Op’s missions. Perhaps Dani herself would finally resign her title as Commander and remove herself from the Base and from Grace’s life.

It was still early days and she’d figure out the details eventually, but whatever she did, Dani knew that she needed to keep Grace out of harm’s way, and in her mind, that meant keeping Grace away from her.

Her mind suddenly took her back over twenty years ago. She was listening to Sarah and Grace argue over how best to protect her.  _ ‘My plan is to hide her at the bottom of a mineshaft …”  _ And Dani felt the words and their intent hit her in the chest like a thunderbolt. 

In that moment, Dani realised that Grace hadn’t cared how she went about protecting her and she felt an almost painful punch of empathy for the desperation and fear that Grace must have experienced in her efforts to keep her safe. Keeping her safe had been her sole mission, her sole focus, no matter the cost. Dani swallowed hard against the fresh tears and the lump in her throat. 

The cost had ended up being her life. 

And now, Dani wept quietly into the pillow as she remembered her beautiful protector from the future. How the Commander from a future timeline had sent the woman she loved into the past, only to have her sacrifice herself. And how, more than twenty years later, the Commander in this timeline was still placing the woman she loved in harm's way, still allowing her to die.

And for what? 

How much progress had they really made since Grace and Carl had died all those years ago in that damned turbine room? 

The world was still decimated, humanity was far from safe, and Legion was still a deadly threat to them all. 

Had they really changed the fate of the world. Or had they merely altered their future and taken a different path toward the same destination?

Dani’s alcohol soaked brain took on an edge of hopelessness and self pity as replayed that moment at Carls Cabin, wishing that Grace had taken her and hid her at the bottom of a mineshaft until all the horrors of Judgement Day and Legion were over. Perhaps then, taking a new path, and under the charge of a different Commander, both Graces would have been safe and alive. 

A part of her mind realised the absurdity and the sheer improbability of the thought. But in that moment of quiet self-loathing, she came back to the one truth her brain kept tugging on. That no matter the timeline, Grace was safer without her in it. 

She sighed heavily and hugged Grace’s pillow against herself, letting herself drift off again with images of both versions of Grace playing behind her closed lids.

***

Grace woke to the sound of a heart monitor and quiet talking and immediately knew she was in a hospital but had no idea how she had got there. Her throat felt rough and dry, and her chest hurt with each breath as did her head which also thudded painfully with each heartbeat.

“Grace?” A soft voice called to her and she turned her head to focus on an attractive young medic who stood by her bed. She didn’t recognise her, but the woman had kind eyes and a friendly face.

“How do you feel Grace?” The young medic asked in a familiar tone.

“Where am I?” she asked in a gravelly voice and squinted against the pain in her head.

“You’re in the Base hospital Grace” the medic replied and took her hand “Do you remember what happened to you?” she asked gently, concern clear in her eyes.

Grace shook her head and tried to move but the medic placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, keeping her in place.

“You’ve been unconscious for several days Grace” the medic squeezed her hand gently, and Grace noticed the familiarity of the gesture but couldn’t place the woman standing next to her.

She frowned in confusion “What happened?” a touch of panic colouring her voice as she tried to remember.

The medic looked across the room and Grace registered the entrance of the doctor. An Asian woman who moved with purpose and authority and who also looked at her with recognition and warmth.

“How are you feeling Grace?” she asked as she pulled off her stethoscope and approached the bed.

“Confused” Grace answered honestly, looking between the two women hoping that something would come back to her. “What happened?” She asked again. Her head thudded even more painfully as her anxiety rose “How did I get here?”

“My name is Dr Yeo, Grace.” The doctor was quick to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Can you tell me the last thing you remember?” she asked as she flashed her penlight into Grace’s eyes.

Grace squinted away from the light and tried to sit up again “Uhhhh ..” she rubbed her sore temple, “I remember being in my classroom,” her brows knit in concentration as she tried to remember “I’d just handed in my medic training application.” She smiled slightly, as though pleased with herself. Movement caught her attention and she looked past the doctor and her eyes widened as a familiar but unexpected face walked through the door.

“Commander!?” she exclaimed and tried to sit up.

Dani felt an immediate rush of mixed pain and relief at the lack of recognition in Grace’s voice and in her eyes. She smiled as best she could “Do you know me Grace?” she asked with a hint of hesitation and stepped closer to Grace’s bed.

Grace smiled a confused smile. “Of course I know you Commander.” 

But it was obvious that Grace didn’t remember who Dani was to her, that the recent trauma had resulted in memory loss like the last time, but this time seemed much more severe. Dani swallowed the lump in her throat and blinked back the burning behind her eyes, chastising herself for even hoping that Grace would remember her, knowing that removing herself would be much less painful if she didn’t.

She nodded quietly and Grace wondered at the hurt behind her dark eyes. The Commander took her hand in hers and squeezed it gently making Grace’s chest tighten for an all-together different reason.

“I’m happy you’re awake Grace.” she said with genuine care in her voice. “You’re in good hands here with Dr Yeo and Stephanie.” She said with a smile and nodded toward the two women.

Grace looked between the three women at her bed. She caught their exchanged glances, noted the way they all looked at her with varying degrees of knowledge and affection and her unease grew. She felt like she was missing something very important. 

Stephanie saw her friends’ distress and was quick to try and reassure her “It’s totally normal to experience some confusion or memory loss after what you’ve been through Grace. It will just take some time okay?”

Grace nodded and couldn’t help but return the medics friendly smile.

Dani looked into Grace’s confused blue eyes and her heart ached for her. She squeezed Grace's hand again, and without a word, resisted the urge to linger and walked out of the room and into the corridor where she leant heavily with her back against the wall.

She had been prepared for Grace to suffer some memory loss, had even hoped that it might make it easier somehow, but she had never expected this. She may have fought with her decision for days but today fate had intervened in a way she hadn’t predicted and seemingly given her a way to carry out her plan without causing Grace harm.

Dani had already decided to distance herself from Grace this morning by not being in the room when she woke up, but when Grace looked at her without any real recognition, she felt both sick and relieved. Relieved that she may have been given an opportunity to keep her promise without hurting Grace, but sick at the idea that she might be the only one who would remember everything.

“Dani?” Evelyn’s soft voice called out as she walked toward Grace’s room.

Dani pulled herself upright and looked Evelyn in the eyes. “I don’t think she remembers anything before 2033, Eve.”

Evelyn ran her fingers through her curly hair and blew out a breath. “It could just be temporary memory loss Dani.”

“Ten years Eve,” she said evenly, without emotion. “She doesn’t remember being a medic or a soldier, let alone being an Augment.”

Evelyn tried to approach Dani, but Dani held up her hand again, “don’t,” she said wearily, still not ready to accept comfort from her friend.

Evelyn swallowed hard against the sting of the rebuke and took a breath as she moved to enter Grace’s room. Her task was the same regardless of Grace’s memory loss, and regardless of Dani’s current feelings toward her. She was there to help Grace adapt to her augments again, so at the very least she would do her job and help her friend.

“Hello Grace, I’m Evelyn Beraud.” Evelyn introduced herself and Grace smiled up at her with no hint of recognition in her face which Evelyn found slightly unnerving.

“Hello.” Grace replied warmly.

Grace looked up at her with such a guileless expression that it made her heart clench and she had to pause for a moment. She cared deeply for this woman who had become part of her family, and she wanted very much to help her without causing her too much discomfort or distress. She thought for a moment about the best approach and decided to be gently direct. 

“Grace, do you know what an Augment is?”

Grace’s brows furrowed and she smiled again, “of course,” she paused, then looked down at her arms and saw the white scars. She looked between Dr Yeo and Evelyn. “What happened?” Her voice shook slightly.

Evelyn sat down and tried to explain everything as simply as possible to begin with, trying not to overwhelm Grace with too much detail.

“You were in an accident recently, an accident which has unfortunately caused you to suffer some memory loss.” She waited for Grace to acknowledge the first piece of information before continuing. “You are a soldier Grace, you volunteered to become an Augment a few years ago, and before that you were an army medic.”

“What!?” Grace scoffed and shook her head, but her confused smile faded when the women around her bed looked between each other seriously. Then a thought occurred to her and she felt a new tension build inside her. “What year is it?” she asked in a shaky voice.

Evelyn smiled internally at her friends’ quick mind. She took another breath before answering. “2043.”

Grace was silent. She lay her head back on the pillow and squinted hard again. Her heart was thudding loudly in her ears and her head suddenly felt like it was splitting open.

“Grace?” Dr Yeo noticed the colour drain from her patients’ face and the look of pain wash over it.

“My head.” She groaned.

Not needing further explanation Dr Yeo immediately clicked Grace’s PCA a couple of times and put it into her hand.

“If you have pain, press this button and it will deliver you pain relief, okay?”

Grace nodded weakly and her body almost immediately began to relax. She had only been awake for a few minutes, but her body felt like it had just run a marathon, and before long the drugs pulled her under and she was asleep.

Evelyn looked sombrely between Susan and Stephanie and the three women began drawing up Grace’s treatment plan for the coming weeks.

If her memory loss persisted, and she didn’t remember being a soldier or an Augment, they’d need to tread carefully. Her body would be unlikely to tolerate the rigorous reprogramming regime they’d used on the island with her the last time, so they would need to figure out a way for her to learn to use her augments again, but this time, as though from the beginning, and with little to no assumed military experience.

***

Dani looked up from the latest report from Dr Yeo and sighed. It had been almost a week since Grace had woken, and Dani had chosen not to visit her since. Despite desperately wanting to, she decided it would be best to keep her distance and let Grace recover without her presence, especially now that it was clear Grace was suffering from some kind of amnesia, and it was unclear if it would improve.

Dani had asked Evelyn and Dr Yeo to keep her appraised of Grace’s progress via regular reports. The reports indicated that Grace was recovering well, but not hitting the targets they had initially set in terms of managing her microprocessor or getting her RD to function as efficiently as they had wanted. But they were optimistic, nonetheless.

With each day and each report, Dani’s resolve to keep herself distanced from Grace was tested. She would inevitably fight with herself, wanting to go to Grace, who must have been feeling so very alone in a place she couldn’t remember with people she didn’t recognise. She desperately wanted to comfort her partner, but Grace’s memory loss not only made that a difficult prospect, but it gave Dani the space and time she needed to cement her decision.

The day Grace woke up, she had asked their circle of friends to be there for Grace as they normally would have, but she had given strict orders for them not divulge who Dani was to Grace, nor she to Dani unless absolutely necessary. She knew their friends, Evelyn and William in particular, disagreed with her decision, but her mind was made up, and as Commander she had the authority to make the request and every right to expect it to be adhered to.

She sat back in her chair and closed the report, wiping away silent tears for probably the hundredth time. Tears not for herself but for everything she was about to take away from Grace and her friends with her decision. She felt an almost overwhelming guilt, but this guilt she felt was a much more tolerable pain than the pain she had experienced over and over again losing Grace. So, she accepted the burden of that guilt, knowing that what she was going to do may not be the right thing, but it would keep Grace safe, and that was her primary objective.

And, as days eventually passed into weeks, her decision became easier to bear. Grace still had no memory of the last ten years, so it would not only appear routine, but also necessary to remove her from military service. She had no memory of being a soldier, and she had neither the muscle memory nor the procedural memory required to undergo military re-training. And with her diminished ability to master her microprocessor and RD, she didn’t meet the physical or neurological requirements necessary to re-enter the Augment program from the beginning. 

So, eventually Dani decided that it would be best if Grace were to be transferred back into the Settlements where she could live a normal life, away from the dangers of the Base and Hadrell’s Spec Op’s team.

Every Settlement had non-military Augments living in them. Augments who had either failed to pass the rigid testing criteria to re-join military service after their augmentation, or Augments who had been discharged from their military duties at a later time for any number of reasons. Because of this, Dani knew that Grace’s presence in the Settlement wouldn’t appear out of the ordinary.

Dani’s manoeuvring may have seemed cold and heartless to those around her, especially those close to Grace, but her concern lay solely with keeping Grace out of harm’s way, not with what people thought of her. So, she forged ahead with her plans, mostly deaf and blind to the voices around her.

There was a knock on her office door, and she looked up from her musings.

“Come in.” She called out.

William entered, looking decidedly uncomfortable. Dani had asked him to meet with her so she could go over plans to commence Grace’s discharge when she was ready to leave the base. A decision he didn’t agree with but was unable to argue against considering Grace’s current medical state.

“Commander.” He said in a clipped voice

“Major.” She replied in turn.

He carried Grace’s military record with him and laid it on her desk before taking his seat. He saw the strain and the sadness Dani carried and he wanted nothing more than to address the reason for it, but this was also his Commander, and he was here on official military duties.

“I understand you’re recommending Captain Harper for medical discharge,” he said plainly.

“I am.” She answered back evenly “Dr Yeo has advised me that she’s not physically ready to return to service and is unlikely to be ready any time soon.”

William nodded and shifted in his seat, not used to speaking to Dani like this. “And, what would you like me to tell the Captain about her military service?” He asked plainly, deciding that he wanted this conversation over and done with quickly.

Dani answered back just as quickly and evenly, having already thought through the details. “Tell her the truth, Major. That she’s being honourably discharged on medical grounds.” She broke eye contact momentarily and softened her tone, “but I’d like to ask that you not allocate her to Seattle, too many people knew her there, knew us.” She looked away. “Can you see if she’d be amenable to relocating to the Ohio or Texas Settlement, I don’t think we ever went there together.”

Hadrell nodded. “I can get a list of positions available in each Settlement and have them ready to go over with her tomorrow.”

Dani nodded, “thank you.”

“And what do you want me to tell her about her accident, specifically?” he asked.

“Tell her the truth. That Legion captured her and hijacked her microprocessor. That an EMP was used to disable the virus, and in doing so, her microprocessor and power source were destroyed.”

William nodded silently and she sighed and sat back. She knew that the full details of the latest incident hadn’t been properly divulged to anybody outside of the team and a few strategic Committee members yet. She was still in talks with the Committee about how best to address the incident, let alone write it up in an official record that anybody would read.

“Do you want her to have access to her service records?” William asked and looked down at the file, knowing that all personnel had the right to see their record upon request.

“Of course.” She said quickly, surprised by the question. “Redact anything sensitive and let her access it if she wants to.” She said with a slight edge to her voice. “Her military record doesn’t contain personal information about our relationship Major, why shouldn’t have access to it?” she asked curtly.

“Her record names you as her next of kin, Commander.” He answered directly, maintaining eye contact with her, and watching the news have it’s intended impact.

There was a beat of silence before Dani broke his gaze.

“Redact it, Major.” She said evenly even though her stomach had started to churn with emotion.

William clenched his jaw.

“Am I understood?” Dani lowered her voice

“Yes Commander” he said in a frustrated tone, and then let himself break protocol by addressing her informally. “But Dani, to be honest, I don’t know why you’re doing any of this.” he said with a hint of anger creeping into his voice.

“Careful Major.” Dani warned evenly.

He leant back and looked Dani in the eye “And what do you, or do you not, want her to know about the circumstances surrounding her augmentation, her previous chip and power source transplants and subsequent re-training?” he asked with a harder edge, knowing it wasn’t his place to bring up her medical care, let alone speak to the Commander like this.

Dani’s eyes became hard and her temper rose at the rebuke clear in his tone “I don’t fucking know William! Tell her the truth, it’s all in her record anyway.” She bit back. “Just don’t tell her about me.” She said in a strained voice.

There was a long silence as Dani tried to calm herself and William tried to decide on his next words. He took a breath and tried again.

“Dani,” William leant in closer to his friend, using her name, “you need her,” he said earnestly, “and she needs you, she just doesn’t know it.” He leant forward “Do you forget,” he said with a hint of a smile, “I was there, when you first saw her, and she first saw you, in that classroom in Seattle. The connection the two of you had was instant, and it’s too deep now, too important, to simply throw away like this.”

Dani’s jaw clenched. She didn’t want to get into this with her friend. Her mind was made up and he was out of line bringing it up. She looked him in the eyes, ready to dismiss him, but saw her friend in-front of her, pleading with her to listen, and her anger died back leaving her feeling raw and exposed.

“I won’t put her in danger anymore William.” She said with a tremble in her voice. “If she stays with me, she’ll die.” She blinked her tears away. “She already HAS died, over and over.” She leant forward, “this is  _ my _ chance to keep her safe.”

“And she doesn’t get a say?” he countered quickly and was met with stony silence. William leant forward again “But, you love her.”

Dani nodded sadly, “more than she knows,” and quickly wiped her cheek clear of the tear that had escaped.

William thumped his hands angrily against the Commanders’ desk and stood to leave. He was angry that Dani had taken the choice away, not only from Grace, but from him and from all her friends who loved her.

If Dani insisted on camouflaging their history, they would all have no choice but to also lie or be evasive around Grace, and he was angry that Dani had made that choice for them all. She was making them all complicit in her deception, no matter how just she viewed the cause, and he didn’t think that she knew just how truly awful that felt.

“What happens if she ever gets her memory back?” He asked.

Dani sighed and shrugged her shoulders, “then, we’ll make a new plan,” she said evenly.

“She won’t easily forgive any of us if she ever finds out Dani.” He warned.

Dani nodded again “But, she’ll be alive William.”

Defeated, he dropped his head and let his shoulders sag a little. He nodded and left quietly, purposely leaving Grace’s record open on Dani’s desk. Hoping beyond hope that she might recognise the mistake she was making.

***

Over the next several weeks Dani observed silently and unseen from the sidelines as Evelyn, Susan, Stephanie, and Hadrell’s Augment Spec Op’s team all did their best to teach Grace to use her implants again.

Her medical team focused on helping her to navigate and integrate her RD and her microprocessor more effectively, and her Augment team endeavoured to teach her to use her RD and to re-make the important neural connections to her body again. But, as Dani had instructed, they were careful not to train her tactically. Instead, they used simple drills and exercises to get her functioning normally but not to the point of military preparedness.

But it was obvious to everyone from the start that  _ this _ Grace was decidedly different from the Grace they all knew and loved before the accident.

This Grace was a little more hesitant, softer in the way she spoke and moved, she was quick to apologise, not as critical of herself, quick to smile and try again if she made a mistake. Her eyes no longer held their hard edge when she concentrated, they no longer scanned people or rooms looking for hidden dangers. Physically, she was a little slower and not as strong as the Grace before, but her muscle memory made her unconsciously hold herself like a soldier, making her quick to relearn how to use her body. Her determination and her strength of mind and body were innate, but she was a science teacher learning to become a civilian Augment not a battle-hardened soldier returning to military service.

This Grace used her augments very differently to the soldier Grace used to be, and Dani struggled not to instruct the team to help guide her back toward being the Augment she knew, somebody who would be safer and stronger and faster if she learned to use her Augments tactically. But deep-down Dani knew that if Grace ever learned to become the soldier she used to be, even without her memory, she’d return to the military without question. She’d be in harm’s way again and she’d be a target again.

Grace had made it abundantly clear over multiple decades, and across two timelines, that she would always, unflinchingly, give her life to protect those around her, and Dani would not let it happen again if it were in her power to prevent it. So, as she saw it, this was the perfect opportunity for Grace to have a normal life, and for her to quietly exit Grace’s life without her even knowing. For Grace to have a chance at a life that didn’t involve her being at death's door at every turn.

Now. After a little over a month, it was apparent that Grace was nearing the stage of her recovery where she was ready to leave the base. Because of Grace’s pending departure, Dani had asked Dr Yeo and Evelyn to cease their daily reports unless they were mission relevant. She knew that Grace would be starting a new life somewhere in Ohio, but she didn’t want to know any more than that, she couldn’t. She didn’t want to risk Grace becoming a distraction or a temptation, so she decided that the less she knew, the better.

She decided that remaining uninformed was a necessary part of extricating herself from Grace's world, but she wasn’t prepared for the depth of anguish it brought her. She was losing Grace again, but by choice this time, and she didn’t feel deserving of the company or comfort offered to her by her friends. Instead she buried herself in her work, spending her days and nights between briefing rooms and her office, avoiding the quiet comfort that her quarters provided, feeling entirely undeserving of any solace.

Truth be told, she was grateful to be absorbed by the fallout of the incident in Hawaii. She’d send a second team to Honolulu to surveill the battle zone and they had come back not only with valuable Legion hardware, but with physical proof that the HK that had taken Grace had in fact been modified to carry a delivery system for the Legion virus, a retrofitted injection device similar to their own Augment microprocessor robot.

The discovery and retrieval of this piece of hardware lit a fire under the Committee and the engineering R&D team. Dani put the Prosperitas outreach missions on hold which allowed them to narrow their immediate focus to formulating a search and destroy strategy for any remaining HK’s or Rev’s still undiscovered. Dani felt that it was unsafe to extend their hand in invitation to potential allies, while they possibly had such a clear and present threat at their doors.

That said, she was loath to take the information given to her by the infiltrator at face value. She had to assume that there were others out there, but she wasn’t about to hamstring Prosperitas by splitting their attention or limiting their efforts to only eight targets when it was entirely possible that there were more.

Evelyn and her research team had discovered that it only took a small amount of the mimetic alloy to house the entire virus. The amount that had been injected into Grace’s brain was equivalent in size to her microprocessor, which meant that if even a single Rev-9 still existed out there somewhere, it could theoretically carry enough copies, not only to infect every Augment that existed, but to infect every CPU linked to their network, every Dragonfly, and every electronic device.

Taking anything that contained a CPU, a microprocessor, or a network link of any kind into battle with Legion could now mean risking the virus being brought onto their network, putting the entire human population at risk again. But to fight Legion they needed the skills and technology of the Augments, the weaponry and mobility offered by the dragonflies, and the surveillance provided by their network. So, Dani shifted their efforts towards finding a way to identify Legion targets without putting Prosperitas assets in immediate danger, to amplify their surveillance and detection methods somehow.

If they could detect and neutralise Legion technology remotely, they might not have to risk exposing the Augments or their technology.

While Evelyn and her team worked on modifying their surveillance methods, Dani worked with Hadrell and the Committee to initiate the new taskforce. She wanted the abandoned, and relatively unexplored east coast to be their initial focus. Judgement day had left Florida and New York and all the coast in between decimated and irradiated. Unsuitable for human habitation which, to her logical mind, meant that it was the perfect environment for a Legion fallback.

Legion had previously used remote and uninhabited regions of Patagonia and Alaska to house their strongholds during the war. So using this logic, and taking into account the fact that Legion would need to be within reasonable proximity to Prosperitas technology in order to capture and infect it, but also base themselves somewhere inhospitable to human habitation, it made sense that Legion would chose to remain dormant but ready in the decimated and uninhabited ex-military zone in Hawaii. And using this same logic, Dani surmised that Legion might also have also chosen the vast wastelands of the east coast of the continental United States to lay in wait.

Logistically, the Texas Settlement was the best launch point for the new Prosperitas taskforce. The main Settlement in Texas had been built around Carl’s Camp in Laredo, but Dani decided that the military outpost east of Dallas would be a good location from which to base the new taskforce. It had minimal civilian habitation and was far enough from the Laredo that the fallout from any potential tactical strike would be contained without risk to the greater Settlement.

Dani gratefully lost herself in the new project, letting the demands of the Committee and the Taskforce pull her attention away from thoughts of Grace. She barely set foot inside her quarters anymore, and when she did it was briefly to shower and change. She spent most of her time on base circulating between her office, Evelyn’s research facility, and the briefing rooms, and soon, trips to Texas made their way into her itinerary at least once a week, as she started to put plans into place for the new taskforce.

Over a month had passed, and despite almost being run off her feet with the new mission, Dani still found her mind straying to a certain tall, blonde Augment at every given opportunity. Wondering how she was progressing, if she was preparing to leave the base, where she’d decide to go and what she’d decide to do once she got there.

***

Evelyn looked up from her work and pulled off her glasses. She looked at the time, surprised to find that most of the day had already passed, and waved her friend inside.

Grace entered Evelyn’s office and took a seat, handing the scientist her wrist without needing to be asked. Evelyn smiled at her friends' obvious comfort around her and with their routine. She plugged in the scanner and waited for it to download.

“How are you feeling?” Evelyn asked easily.

“Good,” Grace answered with a smile. “Eager to put myself to use again,” she admitted.

“How’s your pain?”

Grace hesitated and sat up straighter and shrugged, “It’s okay, mostly,” she admitted.

Evelyn sighed silently. She and Dr Yeo had tried to help Grace dampen her pain response, but without the benefit of her memory the ex-soldier wasn’t quite able to perform the function as effectively as before. The only alternative training method Evelyn could think of was to use the Augment field training programme, but this version of Grace was in no way skilled enough to survive the brutal test.

So, with Susan’s supervision, they had started Grace on a pain management protocol using a slow acting transdermal pain relief patch. They’d gone through several titrations before they got the dose right, and it seemed that perhaps they needed another revisit if it was still bothering Grace. She noted this and scheduled a visit with Dr Yeo.

Evelyn changed the subject, “have you decided what position you’d like to take in the Settlements?”

Grace frowned and shook her head “no, I’m honestly not sure,” she smiled lightly, “I mean, I remember how to be a science teacher,” she chuckled and looked down at herself, “but I feel like it would be a waste of all this technology if I went back to that,” she blew out a breath and shrugged her shoulders. “I think I’d like to find a position where I can use my Augments to help.”

Evelyn nodded and smiled, seeing so many pieces of the Grace she remembered still inside the woman in front of her.

While she waited for Grace’s information to be collated the screen on her desk blinked with a new message so she opened it and read it, cursing quietly as she went through its contents.

Grace had caught Evelyn’s distraction almost as soon as their session started and watching her now made her curious.

“Penny for your thoughts?” she asked kindly, more than a hint of curiosity colouring her voice.

Evelyn smiled and found herself caught again at how similar yet different this Grace was.

“ _ Désolé _ Grace.” She shook her head and apologised “I just have this project I’m working on and it’s frustrating me to no end.”

An eager expression broke out on Grace’s face. “Maybe I can help?” she said earnestly. “I may just be a high school science teacher, but who knows,” she raised her arms slightly and smiled.

Evelyn smiled again at Grace’s eagerness. She let out a breath and decided that she liked the idea, even if it ended up being just a way to pass time with her friend. 

“Okay, while we’re waiting,” she said, happy to spend some time getting to know this new Grace a little better.

“I’m trying to find a way for our drones and perhaps even our Augment Spec Op’s teams to identify Legion technology more easily, without them getting too close to potential Legion hot-spots or exposing themselves to infection like you were.”

Grace swallowed and nodded. She understood the basics of what had happened to her, but the whole scenario still sounded so foreign to her.

“Okay.” She started, “so, I”m assuming that you’ve tried long range sonar and infrared?”

“ _ Oui _ , sonar has proven ineffective, and infra-red only works at close range, which doesn’t really address the remote detection part of the mission.” She quirked a smile and Grace returned it quickly.

Grace paused while she thought about the problem, and Evelyn felt herself get excited as she watched the gears start to turn in her intelligent friends’ mind.

Grace blinked. “The dogs.”

_ “Quoi?” _ Evelyn asked.

“Sorry.” Grace shook her head and visibly tried to slow herself down to explain. “We know that K9’s can sense Legion technology right?” She explained.

“ _ Oui _ , but we don’t know exactly what it is about them that they’re sensing,”

“But, what  _ could _ it be?” Grace asked.

Evelyn ran her hands through her curly hair, “perhaps something about the metal they're made of? Is it their smell or lack of smell? Is it a heat signature? Is it a sound or signal that humans can’t detect?”

Grace thought about it for a minute.

“Are HK’s and Rev-9’s made of the same metal alloy?”

“No.”

“Then it can’t be the alloy or anything about its conductivity or echo capabilities,” Grace replied easily as her mind started ticking over, “it also can’t be their heat emissions because Augments can already detect that, right?”

“Oui,” Evelyn agreed.

“As for smell,” Grace sighed. I’ve never met a Rev-9,” she paused “at least none that I remember,” she looked at the doctor who gave away nothing. “But I can’t imagine a dog reacting to a lack of smell,” she mused “but perhaps a specific smell?”

Evelyn nodded “But we have no idea what that could be, nor how to program our drones for long distance scent detection,” she said frustratedly.

“It is possible that dogs can simply sense the humanity, or lack thereof,” Grace mused more to herself. She had always believed animals could sense a person’s nature. This thought made her think of Oatmeal, momentarily wondering what had become of him.

“ _ Oui _ ” Evelyn agreed “But obviously we can’t program an Augment or a search drone to do the same.”

“Obviously.” Grace agreed with a grin.

The two women sat quietly for a moment before Grace sat up straighter again.

“What frequency can Augments hear at Evelyn?” Grace asked quietly.

“Around 45 thousand hertz.” she replied

“And humans can hear up to around 10, maybe 20 thousand” Grace said quietly almost to herself, her gears turning more quickly, “if memory serves, I think some dogs can hear up to 65 thousand Hz.”

“ _ Oui!”  _ Evelyn leaned forward. “We designed Augments to have enhanced visual capabilities to detect Legion via X-ray and infra-red, but we enhanced their audio capabilities purely for survival and early warning purposes. We weren’t even thinking about their audio capabilities in terms of detecting a specific frequency,” she smiled “So if a Legion weapon resonates or emits silent communication above 45kHz, we simply wouldn’t know!”

“But a dog would,” Grace finished. “And sonar can,” she added. “What if you were to equip the drones with an overlaid detection program using both infra-red and sonar. Kind of like a double verification system?”

Evelyn nodded as she processed the idea. She smiled brightly and grabbed Graces hand, squeezing it tightly.

“That could work!” she agreed enthusiastically. “We could use long range sonar to narrow a search field, and infra-red for confirmation. We could program the drone to be directed by sonar interference and overlay that parameter with infra-red verification once it closes in on the source of the frequency,” she began taking notes quickly.

Grace smiled at the doctor's increasing enthusiasm.

“Can you write a program to enhance the audio capabilities of Augments as well? The drone’s you’ll need to program, but I imagine Augments could create their own personalised overlay between IR and audio if the software was updated.”

Evelyn smiled knowingly at Grace for a moment before catching herself.

“ _ Oui _ , I can write a program so that our drones and the Augment teams can scan radio frequencies between 40 and say 70 thousand hertz.” She pulled out her notepad and started scribbling furiously. “But if we send drones out to identify targets, we can keep you …” she stopped and corrected herself, “I mean, we can keep the Spec Ops team safely on Base to operate unmanned airstrikes, they wouldn’t have to be placed in danger.”

Grace smiled and sat back, watching the excited doctor work. The short brainstorming session felt invigorating, and she had to admit that she was proud of herself for being able to help in any way. Part of her wished she could remember being a soldier because the idea of playing a bigger role in destroying Legion appealed greatly to her. She quietly mulled while the doctor finished her notes, and a thought returned to her again.

“Evelyn?” Grace asked quietly

“Hmmm?” Evelyn answered, concentrating on her screen.

“Do you know if,” Grace paused, “this is going to sound strange, but do you know if I had a cat when I came here?” she asked, a little afraid of the answer. She hadn’t thought of Oatmeal since she had woken up, but now that she had, she was afraid to find out that he was perhaps dead.

Evelyn’s head shot up and she gasped, “of course!” she smiled brightly at Grace, “Oatmeal.”

At the mention of his name Grace’s eyes softened and her smile doubled “He’s here?” she asked excitedly.

“Oui,” the doctor nodded quickly “You and ...” she stopped herself quickly. “You left him here at the barracks with the soldiers before you left. They always look after him when you’re away, and you always need to put him on a diet when you get back,” she laughed “I’ll ask them to bring him to you when we’re done here.”

Grace nodded happily. She had noticed the doctors’ almost stumble, and quick correction but knew there was no point in pushing her for clarification. She was just happy to know that Oatmeal was somewhere here, and that she’d likely get to see her first familiar face in a long time. She blew out a happy breath.

“I found him as a kitten when I was living in Seattle,” she said, remembering the day he’d sauntered up to her demanding some of her food. “God, he must be close to 13 now,” she imagined her young boisterous sidekick as much quieter, slower, and distinguished now, and it made her smile.

Evelyn felt the burn of happy tears sting her eyes and she had to look away. She was happy to be able to give her friend something from all of this, but her heart still ached for the loss that Grace wasn’t even aware she’d suffered.

Her screen blinked again, and she drew her attention to it, quickly going over Grace’s latest download and taking off her glasses.

“Okay.” she said with a look of concentration as she read through Grace’s information “everything looks in order. One more visit to Dr Yeo to look at your pain meds and you should be ready for discharge.”

Grace’s eyes widened “Really?”

Evelyn nodded.

Grace blew out a breath and nodded. “Okay,” she said with a smile and a quirk of her brow.

“Okay,” Evelyn replied with a smile that matched.

Grace stood up to leave but Evelyn quickly reached out and placed a hand over her forearm, stopping her.

“Grace. Join William and I for dinner tomorrow?” she invited “you’ll be leaving soon, and we’d like to see you off properly.”

Grace hesitated for a moment, but the look of genuine friendship Evelyn offered her made her accept with a smile. As much as she was looking forward to leaving the Base she was glad that Evelyn and William had extended their hands in friendship. It made her feel a little less alone knowing that they might be a part of her life in some way.

She headed to her room to pack but was finished in less than half an hour. She didn’t have a lot to take with her to be honest. Her quarters were pretty sparse, no journals or books, no mementos, just some clothes, some paperwork pertaining to her Augments, a few photos from when she was a teacher and one photograph of her family before Judgment Day. All her worldly positions held in a well-worn footlocker.

She didn’t have anywhere else to be that evening, and she wasn’t hungry, so she lay down in her cot and thought about the last several weeks.

She was keen to leave the base and all the looks from people who obviously knew her but wouldn’t approach her now for some reason. It had made her feel uneasy and almost unwelcomed. But she acknowledged that it must have been hard for people to recognise her but have a virtual stranger look back at them, so she tried not to take it to heart. The Arizona base was a military sector, and she was no longer military. She thought she should feel some loss over that, but since she couldn’t remember ever having been a soldier, it really didn’t seem that hard to leave.

Dinner tomorrow would be a welcomed change and she found herself getting a little nervous to be spending an evening with people who she had obviously been close to before.

She liked Evelyn, a lot. The Augment engineer, and Stephanie had been an almost constant presence around her over the last few weeks, and they were as close to what she would call friends in this strange place. She knew that both women had known her as a soldier before her accident, but they seemed to be able to put their former ties aside and forge ahead with new ones now. For that she was extremely grateful.

Her Augment training team on the other hand, had mostly been reserved around her. They were always helpful, attentive, and kind, but aside from William, they never encouraged interactions other than what they’d been asked to do, which was to train her to use her implants again.

She could tell that she and Major Hadrell had been close by the familiar way he spoke to her and the way he joked with her on occasion, but there was always an undercurrent of concern, an almost brotherly gentleness, around him every time they trained together. She could tell that he expected more from her than she was able to physically achieve, but he never lost his patience or showed disappointment. There was a tenderness about him that belied his imposing physical presence and impressive rank, and she had grown to think of him as almost a brother.

The Augment soldier named Alicia Torez seemed to want to be close to her, but Grace sensed a lot of frustration and something verging on sadness whenever she tried. There were times when Torez dropped her guard and she could see genuine affection in her eyes, but almost as soon as Grace saw it, it was gone again in a flash. Grace would have been lying if she said that the beautiful Augment didn’t catch her attention for very different reasons as well. In pursuit of said reasons, Grace had tried to break down the invisible barrier between them by using bravado, humour and flirtation interchangeably, but the stoic soldier was frustratingly steadfast in her commitment to treat Grace only as a friend and a training partner.

The two Augment sergeants named Kahn and Gomez seemed almost hesitant and uncomfortable around her, as though not knowing their place around her. They seemed to want to defer to her even though they were the ones training her which led to more than a few awkward moments during simulation exercises.

After feeling off-balance and confused by everyone’s behaviour during the first weeks of training, Grace had asked to see her military record and had not been entirely surprised to read that she had served under the Major for several years both before and after becoming an Augment. Kahn and Gomez had been her subordinates when she had become a Captain and had formed her own team last year. And Torez had trained as an Augment recruit along-side her, serving with her under Haddrell for a couple of years.

This is when she realised where their hesitancy likely came from. They were all very accustomed to the soldier she used to be, and to the rank she had possessed in relation to her own. Each of them had obviously had a relationship of some form with her while she was serving, but now that she was no longer a soldier, and no longer remembered who they were to her, they were obviously struggling to figure out what their new dynamic was.

She could understand it. Soldiers were used to rules, used to knowing their place and their duties, but with her, they must have struggled not having that structure anymore. 

Not for the first time she found herself frustrated by the purely factual contents in her files but was grateful to her new friends for trying to fill in some of the blanks when they could. Still, it made her sad that these soldiers who had obviously meant something to her before seemed content to keep their interactions friendly but void of actual friendship.

But Evelyn and Stephanie, despite their initial discomfort over her memory loss and their obvious vigilance at keeping details of her personal life before the accident off the table during their interactions, were always welcoming and forthcoming about any of her questions about who she used to be both to them personally, and professionally.

She’d found out that she and Evelyn had actually first met not long after she’d submitted her medic training application, and Grace felt genuinely sad to have lost all memory of the friendship they might have shared. A feeling that surprised her at first but made sense when she thought about the affection she now held for the doctor after such a short period of time.

With some prompting, Stephanie had also told Grace of their first encounter almost ten years prior when Stephanie had been a teenager living at the Seattle Settlement, and Grace had been a young army medic who saved her and her family and left a lasting impression on the young woman. As Grace sat through the retelling, she found herself becoming distressed and emotional, hardly able to believe that she was the person Stephanie was speaking of. She could tell from the way Stephani unconsciously reached for her hand, or smiled a knowing smile in her direction, that she and the medic had shared a close bond.

Stephanie and Evelyn had both confirmed that they’d been good friends before her accident, and both women had made a point now to ensure that Grace knew they would keep in touch with her wherever she went. They also made it clear that they expected her to do the same. A request that warmed her heart, and that she eagerly agreed to.

And Grace felt a not altogether unfamiliar pull to again accept a place in these women’s lives, even if it meant all the hard work of breaking new ground or covering territory already explored.

Her military friends, except for Hadrell, weren’t as forthcoming with invitations of continued friendship. Alicia had hugged her on their last training day and said that she’d try to keep in touch wherever she was. Kahn and Gomez bid her a quick farewell. Unsure whether to hug her, shake her hand, or salute her, they awkwardly departed with pleasant platitudes. 

William however, had unexpectedly wrapped her up in a huge embrace and sat her down, making it clear that he expected her to contact him if she ever needed anything. He then handed her the official paperwork, discharging her from the military, telling her that she’d been the best soldier he’d ever had the pleasure to work alongside, and apologising for how things had turned out.

Grace had felt a deep sadness radiating from the large man and had instinctively reached across and pulled him into a hug. Obviously, this wasn’t something she’d done a lot of in the past because she felt him instantly stiffen, but she genuinely wanted to try to foster this friendship, she wanted him to know that she cared, so she held firm and he eventually hugged her back just as tightly. Both silently accepting and enjoying their new friendship.

Grace was pulled away from her musings and back to the present when she heard a knock on her door. She hadn’t been expecting anybody, but she opened the door and immediately gasped and laughed as she came face to face with a friendly furry face. She reached out and eagerly took Oatmeal from Evelyn’s arms. Tears began pricking the back of her eyes as soon as her hands wrapped around his warm body.

“I figured you’d want to see him sooner rather than later,” Evelyn said kindly.

“Thank you, Evelyn,” Grace replied, genuinely delighted.

Oatmeal was visibly older and much larger than she remembered but he smelled the same and obviously recognised her if his purrs were anything to go by.

“He seems happy to see you.” Evelyn noted affectionately.

Grace wiped away a few happy tears “Believe me, the feeling’s mutual.”

“I need to get back to the office, but I’m glad to have been able to help reunite you two.” Evelyn smiled and handed Grace a bag containing some food, a few toys, and his bowl. Grace caught the sadness behind her eyes, and almost asked about it. But Oatmeal decided he wanted her attention that moment and he pawed at her face and meowed loudly.

Grace laughed and Evelyn couldn’t help but join in before bidding her goodbye and closing the door behind her.

***

Evelyn fumed as she walked back to her office, recalling how she’d waited until Grace had left their appointment earlier before going to see Dani.

She found her friend in her office, wrapping up a conference call with the Texas settlement. From what little she’d heard, Dani would be heading there soon to begin preparations for the new taskforce.

Evelyn sighed heavily. She knew that bringing Grace up was a futile exercise, the last few times had ended with the close friends literally yelling at each other. But she felt her frustration and anger toward Dani build, nonetheless.

Dani ended her call and looked up, waiting for Evelyn to speak. She felt her friends’ disapproval every time she saw her, but she was honestly too tired to invite yet another argument.

“Grace would like Oatmeal back.” Evelyn said plainly.

Dani's chest immediately began to tighten with fear, she swallowed hard and nodded. “She remembered?” she asked in a trembling voice.

“She remembered him as the kitten he used to be,” Evelyn clarified quickly seeing her friends’ distress. “I told her that he was in the barracks and that I’d find him for her.” 

Dani felt relief and grief all at once but reminded herself that this was of her own doing. She let out a shaky breath and stood, silently asking Evelyn to follow her.

She had collected Oatmeal from the Barracks the day Grace went into the recovery ward and had taken care of him for the last few weeks. Taking comfort in his warm presence in her bed on the nights she actually slept, and his affectionate greetings in the tunnels every day. He had been Grace’s for years before he was theirs, but she loved him dearly and would miss him. He was also her last physical link to Grace. She’d made sure that all of Grace’s clothing and personal items had been neatly placed in the foot locker of her new quarters. She’d selfishly kept a single t-shirt that still smelt of her partner, but aside from that, the small ring box, and the necklace she still wore, Oatmeal was the last part of Grace still within her quarters, and her stomach churned at the idea of coming back later tonight to the empty room.

She and Evelyn approached the north tunnel together and there he was, rolling onto his back, waiting for the customary belly rubs she gave him. She scooped him up and wiped angrily at her tears as she led them down the tunnel and into the elevator to her quarters. She placed him down and waited for the doors to open and he scampered inside.

Evelyn followed Dani into her quarters and took in the dishevelled area, the messy bed, the clothes laying on the floor, the half open luggage from their not so recent trip, and the distinct lack of dishes in the sink. She sighed sadly and bit her tongue.

Dani wandered around the quarters putting Oatmeal’s food bowl, some food and a few toys into a bag. She sat on the edge of the bed and Oatmeal immediately jumped up and headbutted her, and she laughed and gave him the scratches he was demanding.

Evelyn sat next to Dani and wrapped an arm around her. She knew she wasn’t going to change Dani’s mind. Really, nobody could once it had been made up, but she wanted her to know that she was still there for her if she needed her.

“When does she leave.” Dani asked quietly.

“Day after tomorrow. She’s going to Ohio.” Evelyn answered back sadly.

Dani sighed heavily and nodded.

“She’s coming to our place for dinner tomorrow.” Evelyn began “You know that you’d be more than welcome to join us Dani. We wouldn’t necessarily even need to explain your presence except to say that you knew Grace when she was a soldier and wanted to bid her farewell?” 

Dani smiled at the offer but shook her head “You know I can’t.” She said quietly.

Evelyn nodded and gave her friend another squeeze before standing up.

“Then join us next week,” she asked earnestly, “It looks like you could use a home-cooked meal,” she said with a quirk of her brow.

Dani smiled and held out the bag of Oatmeal’s things. “I’d love to Eve, but I have to be in Texas in a few days.”

“When you come back then?” Evelyn asked.

Dani nodded noncommittally and picked Oatmeal up. She held him all the way up to the tunnel and kissed his furry head several times before handing him silently over to Evelyn who took him.

Dani walked off without a word and Evelyn couldn’t tell if she was more frustrated with, or sad for, Dani, so she kept her mouth shut and headed towards Grace’s quarters with her furry package.

She returned to her office shortly after dropping Oatmeal off to Grace and flicked on her monitor, channelling the emotions swirling inside of her into her work. She didn’t look up from her screen until William knocked on her door late in the evening.

She smiled and called him in, “look!” she said excitedly.

William smiled at her enthusiasm and tried to decipher what she was working on.

“Grace helped me figure it out,” she said proudly.

“Grace?” He asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

“She doesn’t know any of the specifics surrounding why we need the information, but she helped me figure out how dogs potentially identify Legion tech before we can.”

William looked down at her work and although he didn’t understand half of it, he could tell she was working on something to do with radio frequencies.

“Sound?” he asked.

“ _ Oui! _ ” she exclaimed. “It’s so simple really, and it makes complete sense,” she pulled off her glasses and sat back in her chair, smiling brightly at the work in front of her. “We can use unmanned surveillance to identify exothermic sources of sound outside of normal human detection, we can use infr-red to provide visual verification, and then we can deploy an unmanned strike to neutralise the targets. Nobody would need to get close initially, if at all.” 

“And, Grace helped with this?” he asked again.

Evelyn nodded proudly before she caught herself and her face darkened. She stood and his arms immediately came around her and held her tightly. He could feel her frustration and her sadness, and he felt the same.

“I’ve invited Grace to join us for dinner tomorrow.” She spoke into his chest. “She’s leaving the day after and I want to make sure that she knows that she has friends here.” She looked up into his eyes, conveying her concern.

William nodded and kissed her tenderly. “I can’t say I’m entirely comfortable with the idea, love, but Grace is family no matter what.” He said with a sad smile.

Evelyn pulled him closer and let herself relax against him, relieved that William not only felt the same way as she did, but was willing to work through his discomfort if it meant being able to keep a connection with their friend.

“I’ll invite Torez and Stephanie too. I’ll see if Bruce can have the kitchen prepare something for us.”

“Good idea love,” he murmured.

Evelyn turned around and flicked off her monitor. She took Williams hand in hers and led him out of her office, switching off the light and closing the door.

“Let’s go home,” she said gently.

***

Grace closed and opened her hand into a fist several times, trying to control the nerves that coursed through her as she stood in the hall outside Evelyn and William’s front door. Deciding that the only way to get past the anxiety was to jump in, she blew out a breath and knocked quickly.

Evelyn opened the door and the smile on her face immediately put Grace at ease. Without hesitation, Evelyn stepped forward with a hug, and Grace found herself returning it instinctively despite it being a relatively foreign gesture for her.

The dinner was something that even Grace didn’t realise she’d needed. Being both figuratively and literally embraced by the small but close group of friends made her feel like a piece of her life she hadn’t even known was missing, had fallen back into place. And although she had no memory of Evelyn, William, Alicia or Stephanie, she was distinctly aware that a part of her felt at ease and very much at home with them.

Their evening was full of light banter and frequent teasing which seemed a natural part of their group dynamic, and which they made a clear effort to include her in. They seemed to easily navigate the delicate line between making their interactions personal enough to help her feel a part of the group, yet avoiding long-standing jokes and references that she would have no context for now and would only serve to make her otherness more apparent.

The evening was comfortable, and warm, and passed far too quickly for everyone there. But by the end of the night they had re-formed and cemented their ties of friendship, and Grace felt a weight lift from her shoulders knowing that this was one of the first defining moments in her new life and it was one filled with genuine affection and warmth. And she noticed with a hit of gratitude that, for the first time, she felt a tinge of sadness to be leaving tomorrow.

At the end of the night hugs were exchanged and genuine promises were made to keep in touch. Stephanie bid them farewell and headed back to the medical facility to do some last rounds with Dr Yeo, and Alicia accompanied Grace back to the barracks.

The two strolled slowly together and eventually Alicia broke the comfortable silence.

“I’m glad I came tonight.”

Grace could hear the smile in her voice, and it caused one to form on her lips too.

“Yeah. Me too. I mean, I’m glad you came. I’m also glad I came.” She clarified with a chuckle.

“It’s been hard hasn’t it?” Alicia asked unnecessarily.

“For us all, I think.” Grace replied honestly. “It’s a strange thing. To feel this new sense of gratitude for new friends who are obviously old friends who care about me.” She kicked at the dirt ground as a way to channel some of her confused thoughts.

Alicia nodded but couldn’t really imagine how Grace was feeling. So, she decided to share some of her own musings.

“It’s strange for me too.” She replied quietly and Grace came to a stop and searched her face. Her guileless expression and open curiosity made Alicia’s heart clench not for the first time that evening.

If Alicia were honest with herself, she knew that she’d loved Grace since their first few weeks in Augment training together. And even though that love had morphed over time to be the steady, loyal love shared between friends, she had often felt a pull towards the beautiful soldier that would occasionally cause her to withdraw until she’d put it in its place again. The last month had been a visitation of that for the quiet Augment.

Watching Grace struggle with the Legion virus had made her feel desperately helpless in a way she wasn’t used to, and it had torn her heart out to see the Commander grapple with what she knew were the same feelings, but tenfold.

When she woke up in the AC after the infiltrator had almost killed her, Alicia couldn’t find it in herself to be anything but concerned for her friend. She knew Grace would have been distraught by what she had done, and had Alicia been able to, she would have tried her best to allay that distress. But all too soon came the news that Dani had used the EMP to kill the virus, and in doing so had ended Grace’s life as well.

Thinking about it made Alicia’s throat close-up. She’d fought alongside Grace for several years, and both soldiers had been at death's door on more than one occasion. That one time, a year ago, had been too close for them all, and had all but tipped her world upside down. But the universe seemed to have blessed her friend with the proverbial nine lives, and Alicia had grown accustomed to believing, somewhat naively, that no matter what the trial or the odds, Grace would by some means come through.

Alicia had also seen all too often, the power of the love her friend shared with the Commander and she had witnessed first-hand the otherworldly strength it had to pull them through whatever their trials were, together.

But this time was different.

The Grace who came back this time wasn’t the same Grace. And the Commander she’d seen sitting by Grace’s AC unit that first night was not the same Commander either. Alicia recalled watching from her own AC unit that night as Dani slowly became angrier, more withdrawn, harder but somehow also more fragile. She knew that she was one of the few people who would ever be able to claim to have ever seen the Commander like that, and she knew that she’d never be able to forget how it felt to watch Dani transform over the course of the night.

Hindsight had made it obvious to Alicia that Dani had been wrestling with her decision to leave Grace, and she knew that, despite the Commanders’ demonstrated resolve to stay away from Grace since she woke, it was tearing her up inside. How could it not. It was tearing them all up inside.

Watching Grace try to find her footing again, watching her try to become whole again while such a big piece of her was missing, was heartbreaking for them all.

Alicia liked to think that she was able to understand some of what Dani was going through simply because she too loved Grace. But over the last month she came to realise that she would never be able to come close to grasping the reality that the Commander had created for herself.

Of course, they would all miss the Grace they’d lost in the accident, but at least she and the others were able to get to know this Grace now. Would be able to keep her in their lives, build new memories and form new bonds.

But Dani had removed that as an option for herself and Alicia couldn’t comprehend it. Couldn’t comprehend the desperation Dani must have felt to have made the decision in the first place and couldn’t comprehend the soul crushing aftermath of that decision. To know the person you loved most in the world was whole and well and within reach, but to never be able to actually reach out to them.

Alicia swallowed against the rush of emotion she felt looking into her friends’ clear blue eyes and smiled.

“I can’t tell you how sorry I am for what happened to you Grace.” She blinked back the tears which blurred her vision.

Grace ducked her head and shrugged.

“Not your fault.” She replied honestly and smiled. “I’m just grateful that you all want to try again. With me, I mean.” She stuck her hands in her pockets and shrugged again, suddenly feeling uneasy being vulnerable with this woman she barely knew but felt oddly close to.

“Of course we do, Grace” Alicia stepped forward and touched Grace’s shoulder with a familiarity which caused Grace to lift her head back up with a small start. “Whether you remember it or not, you’re important to us.” She dropped her hand to Grace’s and took it gently in her own.

Grace nodded and looked into Alicia’s dark eyes. Seeing a truth and an intensity in them she hadn’t been ready for.

“Grace, I mean it” Alicia ducked her head and held Grace’s gaze intently and Grace felt herself respond to the energy suddenly radiating off the tall woman.

“You mean a lot to  _ me _ ,” she grasped Grace’s hand tighter and gave it a squeeze, “I want to be here for you, and I’d like for you to know me as somebody you can call on for anything. Okay?”

Grace couldn’t say anything around the lump that had formed in her throat. So, she nodded and squeezed Alicia’s hand back, holding her gaze with a smile on her lips.

Alicia was an intensely attractive woman, and in that moment of vulnerability Grace found herself responding automatically to her. She had no idea what their relationship had been before her accident, but Alicia had never given her any indication that it had been more than friendship, and she was hesitant to overstep any bounds that might be in place. Still, there was something there, she was sure of it.

Alicia saw Grace’s eyes darken and watched her brows furrow as she retreated back inside her own inner musings. She smiled knowingly at her friend and continued to move through the entryway to the barracks. She wasn’t at all surprised to feel that familiar pull grow stronger as they neared Grace’s door, but she tried to push it down before they inevitably stopped to say goodnight. She was hesitant to complicate their burgeoning friendship with old feelings that she’d never been able to fully rid herself of.

But the two women had shared an undeniably intense energy in their past, and Grace, divorced from her memories of Dani, seemingly had no reservations in silently acknowledging that energy now, and Alicia felt herself responding in turn.

Grace slowed at her door and opened the lock, clearing her throat to break the tension filled silence. She turned, intending on giving Alicia a goodbye hug, but as she did, she caught the desire in Alicia’s eyes and paused for a moment. She quickly gathered her nerves and let courage, alcohol, and the knowledge that she was leaving tomorrow, take hold. She stepped closer to the tall Augment and quickly wrapped her hand around the back of her neck, applying just enough pressure with her fingertips to pull her head closer to hers.

Grace stared into her dark eyes for a quiet moment, both women breathing in the same air, waiting to be given permission. Alicia’s eyes flicked quickly to her lips and back up to meet hers and Grace smiled, closing the distance quickly.

Their kiss was heated and filled with more emotion that Grace was prepared for. Alicia both accepting Grace’s advance and giving back fiercely. Grace groaned into the kiss and the warm embrace and pushed them back against the wall, pressing her body into the dark woman’s, and delighting when she felt Alicia respond in turn.

Alicia’s arms wrapped themselves firmly around Grace, one hand tangling almost roughly in her hair while the other circled her waist and pulled her against her tighter before trailing a firm path along her spine from the base of her neck to the small of her back.

Alicia broke the kiss and spun them around, pinning Grace between the wall and her own body. She pulled back on Grace’s hair again, exposing her neck, and began tracing a hot trail across the sensitive skin with her tongue and her teeth.

Grace’s groaned and her knees began to weaken as Alicia’s lips found and worked insistently on a particularly sensitive spot near her collarbone.

“Yesssss” she hissed in encouragement, and Alicia responded by capturing her lips again and pressing her body even more firmly into Grace’s. Her hands seemed to be everywhere at once and Grace’s body responded automatically as they burned through her clothes and to her skin. But through the lust filled haze, her brain slowly registered the familiarity of Alicia’s hands and mouth on her, and a realisation dawned on her, shocking her into breaking their kiss.  _ ‘She knows me! She knows my body!’ _

She grasped the dark woman’s face gently between her hands and pulled back, looking her in the eyes as she caught her breath.

“We’ve …” she panted and paused, trying to get her mouth to form words, “we’ve done this before, haven’t we?” she asked. Alicia tried to avert her gaze, but Grace held firm and drew her closer until their noses were almost touching again. “Haven’t we?” she asked again gently.

“Si.” Alicia nodded almost sadly in response, and pulled back from Grace’s body, as though suddenly realising the position she was in.

“Were we together? Before?” Grace asked, still holding onto Alicia’s face gently, trying to maintain a connection to the suddenly very uncomfortable soldier.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have ….” Alicia shook her head and tried to pull away again.

But Grace was determined to calm her. “Hey, hey, it’s okay,” she leant in and kissed the woman on the cheek. “I wanted this.” She smiled and tried to convey her sincerity, “and it felt like you wanted it too?”

Alicia finally let her posture soften and smiled a little, nodding her agreement.

“Were we?” Grace paused. “Are we?” She couldn’t think of what she was trying to ask, but this time Alicia stepped forward and cupped Grace’s face between her hands and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

“We were lovers for a moment, a long time ago,  _ querida _ ,” Grace smiled at the term of endearment and held onto Alicia’s wrists, “but we’ve been friends for much longer.”

Grace nodded.

Alicia kissed Grace’s cheek once more and stood back, taking her hands in her own and squeezing them.

“I’m sorry I got carried away Grace. You’ve always had an effect on me, but that’s no excuse.” She shook her head and smirked, and Grace couldn’t help but return it.

“There is a reason we aren’t lovers anymore,” Grace frowned at the information and Alicia continued. “It’s not sinister or clandestine, but it is real, and important, and I promise you that I’ll talk to you about it if you want me to, but I need you to believe me when I say that we’ve been friends, happily, for a long time, and whatever we may have had in the past, really does belong there.”

Grace searched her friend's face and saw nothing but honesty and care. The fire that had burned through her just moments ago had quickly calmed, and now that she had more control over her senses, she recognised the truth in Alicia’s words, even if she didn’t really understand them.

A part of her desperately wanted to know about their past, but she told herself to be patient, that tonight was not the night to delve into possibly unsettling territory, that she would ask Alicia to talk about it at another time when they were both less intoxicated. She nodded and squeezed Alicia’s hands in return before stepping forward and embracing her tightly.

“Of course.” She whispered as she held the tall woman tightly. “Thank you for your honesty,” she pulled back and looked into Alicia’s dark eyes, “And thank you for your friendship.”

“ _ Siempre.” _ Alicia replied automatically, and Grace stiffened, feeling an unusual sensation of familiarity wash over her as she heard the word  _ ‘always.’ _ She shook her head to clear it, dismissing the deja vu, and looked again at her friend.

“I’ll see you soon then, I guess? Good night Alicia.” Grace smiled and backed into her room before any awkwardness could take hold. 

“Good night Grace” Alicia smiled back and nodded before turning and walking down the hall. 

***

Around 7am the next morning, Grace boarded the waiting dragonfly and smiled. William and Alicia were on board waiting for her with smiles on their faces.

“William, Alicia” She acknowledged them with a hint of relief in her voice, happy to have a couple friendly faces along with her today.

“Grace” Alicia smiled back and indicated the seat next to hers.

Grace stowed her footlocker and secured Oatmeal’s carrier to the seat next to hers.

“Lift off in 2” William called out to the crew and Grace pulled her straps tightly. A small flutter of anxious excitement coursing through her as the sound of the engines became louder.

“Nervous?” Alicia leaned in and asked.

Grace smiled and nodded “It’s silly, I know”

Alicia’s hand covered hers and squeezed gently “Not at all.” she replied kindly.

Grace's pulse jumped as she felt the landing gear retract underneath her and the craft became airborne. She swallowed hard against the odd mix of emotions rushing through her and tried to settle herself. She was excited to be starting her new life in Ohio, but also scared to be leaving the Arizona base which, despite its lack of familiarity and warmth, had become the only recent home she could remember.

She looked between Alicia and William and felt her stomach calm almost immediately. She knew that regardless of what Ohio held for her, she had friends here whenever she needed them. 

As the craft banked to take them north-east, she caught a glimpse of the landing pad and saw a lone figure standing off to the side, by the tunnel entrance. It was the Commander. She was watching the departing dragonfly with such a look of loss on her face that Grace almost went to say something to William, but as she raised her eyes to him, she noted that he was also watching the Commander from his vantage point at the open hull, and his face was filled with a sad understanding. She knew it was too private a moment to intrude upon but couldn’t help wondering what had transpired between them to evoke such strong emotions.

***

Dani entered the conference room and dumped herself into a seat before switching on the microphone. She had been on her way to her office and her tequila bottle after seeing Grace depart when an officer had come to tell her that she had a call from Hawaii.

Her throat hurt from trying to stop herself from crying, but she cleared it roughly and spoke into the receiver.

“Hector, it’s Dani here.”

“Dani, it’s good to hear your voice.” His genuine warmth came through the speaker and Dani found herself smiling despite the tumult of emotions running through her.

“It’s good to hear yours too.” She replied, “what can I do for you Hector?”

She heard him clear his own throat.

“Firstly, I wanted to ask after Grace.”

Dani clenched her jaw again and took a deep breath. She cursed herself for not getting in touch earlier. Of course, their friends would have been concerned for Grace! Afterall, the last time they saw them, Grace had been unconscious on a stretcher and about to be flown to the Base hospital.

“I’m so sorry Hector. I should have reached out sooner.” She apologised and tried to think of exactly what to tell the man who had become a friend to them both.

“It’s okay Dani, I understand that you’ve had a lot to deal with. Honestly, we just wanted to make sure you are all okay, and that the information Evelyn’s team gathered over here has proven to be useful in some way to your efforts?’ There was a pause. “Also, I wanted to let you know that Thalia, Serena, Myles, Jackson and I will be flying over to Arizona on the next transport”

Dani’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“That’s excellent news Hector! We’d love to welcome you and the family here …” she trailed off.

“But?” Hector picked up on the hesitation.

“But.” She took another breath. “What I’m about to tell you needs to remain between you and the leadership of Perseverance for now, am I understood?”

“Absolutely” he answered immediately.

“There’s been an unforeseen complication Hector. It turns out that the HK Grace was taken by on the island had been retrofitted to carry a delivery system capable of injecting a viral copy of Legion into anything with a microprocessor or computer chip”

“Shit.” He whispered. “Is Grace okay?”

“She is now, thankfully. We ...” she clenched her jaw and tried to force the images out of her mind “… we managed to kill the virus that had infected her by using an EMP to kill it”

“Damn it, Dani. I’m so sorry you both had to go through that again.” He had a sadness in his voice which touched her. Of course, he’d been present when Grace had been incapacitated and almost killed by the EMP that Murphy had set off next to her, so he knew the threat they posed to her.

“Thank you Hector. That means a lot.” She acknowledged.

“But you’re both okay now, yes?” He queried.

She let the question hang in the air, letting her silence tell him that they were less than okay.

“We are both well.” She paused again and took a breath. “Grace unfortunately suffered significant memory loss due to the infection and won’t be returning to military duties.”

“I’m sure that’s been difficult for her, please let her know we’re thinking of her and hoping for a quick recovery, and we look forward to making her chicken soup when we see her.” He said the last part with a chuckle.

Dani smiled but met his words with silence again as she angrily wiped at her eyes which refused to hold back the tears she’d fought so hard against.

“Hector. Grace and I aren’t together anymore. She left the Base for the Ohio Settlement this morning.”

“But …?”

“I’ll fill you in properly when you get here Hector. I don’t want to get into it right now …”

“Of course, Dani. I’m sorry. We’re sorry.” His voice was filled with so much compassion that Dani had to put her hand over her mouth to muffle the sob that tried to escape.

“I’ll let you go, and hope to see you soon okay?”

Dani nodded before realising she was speaking to him via the radio.

“Will do Hector. I’ll make sure I’m here to meet you when your transport arrives.”

“Take care Dani.”

“And you.” She signed off and leant back in her seat.

The next transport from Hawaii was due to take off in two weeks. She was looking forward to seeing her new friends, but she found herself feeling acutely aware just how different her life was now to when she’d been on the island with them all.

Her plans for the Texas outpost were beginning to take shape, Evelyn had made a breakthrough in the surveillance upgrades, and Hector was en route no doubt to offer whatever assistance he could to their new mission and to possibly scout out the Settlements for new homes for the people of Perseverance. 

Life was propelling her along its path all too quickly and in far too orderly a manner for the turmoil inside her. 

She had only just watched Grace leave and her heart just wasn’t up for being carried along by the frenetic energy around her anymore. She felt like digging her heels in and telling the world to slow down for a minute, to give today the solemnity it deserved. Despite the looming mission and all the activity it created around her, she couldn’t find the energy to be enervated by it at all. Instead, she wanted to crawl back under her covers and stay there until her chest stopped hurting and until her head stopped thinking of Grace every other second.

She put her head in her hands and leant forward on the desk, but a quiet knock on the door made her jolt upright.

“ _ Desole _ Dani!” Evelyn apologised.

“Evelyn.” Dani cleared her throat and raised an eyebrow in question.

“I organised a meeting this morning to go over the plans for the surveillance upgrades?”

Dani blinked slowly trying to order her thoughts.

“Oh, of course. I’m sorry. Come in.”

Evelyn nodded and waved her team in behind her and soon the day was taken up with the new surveillance schematics and plans on how best to conduct the new mission from the Texas outpost.

Dani ended the day by booking herself onto the next dragonfly east, and quickly lost most of the night going over the plans to extend the outpost near Dallas to accommodate a squadron of drones, the necessary electronic surveillance equipment, and Hadrell’s Spec-ops team. They were going to be temporarily relocating to their new base of operations, and she wanted to ensure things ran as smooth as possible.

Of course, she also wanted to studiously ignore any thought of Grace that tried to work its way through her defences, so she threw herself into the work in-front of her. Her plan only worked half of the time, but she kept at it, trying to perfect it over the course of the next few months.

During her wake hours, her work kept her suitably busy, but her dreams turned out to be her biggest traitors in her quest to rid herself of thoughts of Grace. No matter how hard Dani concentrated on focusing on everything but Grace while she was awake, almost each time she closed her eyes she dreamt of blue eyes, of beautifully scarred skin, of unruly blonde hair, and of the body that belonged to them all.

She lost count of the number of times she dreamt of taking Grace, or of Grace taking her. Sometimes it would be rough, full of firm touches, scraping teeth, and sweat. Other times it was languid and gentle, full of soft kisses and even softer skin. The dreams were often so real she would wake with Grace’s taste on her lips, her heart racing, skin dripping with sweat, and a decided ache between her legs.

Tonight, three months after Grace left, was no different. Dani curled herself back around her pillow and tried to calm her racing heart, her mind still filled with images of Grace arching hard against her as she brought her slowly to the brink of orgasm. She swallowed hard and loosened her grip on the pillow, forcing herself to relax. And after long moments of deep breathing, she felt herself grow heavy again, and she felt the weight of Grace’s body against hers just as she slipped back into sleep.

***

Grace’s moaned and reached behind her, grabbing the headboard, her breathing hitched and her stomach tightened as her lover pulled gently and methodically on her clit. She arched her head back and pushed against the headboard to get more contact with the mouth against her centre.

“uuuugghhhh” she encouraged enthusiastically as her lover obliged and sucked harder. She turned her head, feeling her stomach begin to tremble.

She reached down and grasped the hand wrapped around her upper thigh and gasped as her climax approached. The fingers inside of her worked fast and hard and she closed her eyes, seeing bright flashes behind her lids as the first waves took hold. She arched hard into her lovers’ mouth, her body almost suspended for a moment before it fell back to the mattress and she lost herself to the waves of pleasure coursing through her.

Her lover kept her fingers buried inside her, but quickly crawled up her long body as she continued to convulse, wrapping her up tenderly and kissing her jaw, her neck, and her collarbone as she wordlessly moaned, clenching fistfuls of sheet as each aftershock rocked through her.

As she slowly settled, her lover gently removed her fingers and lay her dark head on her shoulder, draping an arm around her waist and tracing patterns on her still trembling stomach.

When she’d caught her breath, Grace pulled her closer and ducked her head, smiling as she caught the taste of herself on her lips. She dropped her head back onto the pillow and groaned as her body finally relaxed completely. She closed her eyes and felt her breathing return to normal as her senses slowly returned to her. She sighed happily and felt her body start to grow heavy and lethargic.

“My shift starts in a few hours baby” her lover spoke softly, and Grace moaned her disappointment. The woman in her arms laughed softly and squeezed her tightly, nuzzling onto Grace’s soft neck, kissing it and then kissing her soft lips for long minutes.

They’d spent the last few hours making love, and Grace was pretty sure that her lover needed sleep more than she needed another orgasm, so she pulled the sheet up around them and set her alarm for 2am.

“Get some sleep” she said gently and ran her fingers along the smooth skin of her back until she felt her become heavy, and as she did Grace found herself also drifting off into a restless sleep.

Her alarm buzzed after what seemed like only a few minutes and she woke with a start. She caught her lovers’ dark eyes looking down at her with a curious expression.

“Everything okay?” she asked as she rolled over and sat up, stealing a quick kiss as she did.

Her lover pulled back and asked her quietly “Who’s Danny?”

Grace looked confused and shook her head. “What? Who?”

“You called out  _ “Danny” _ in your sleep” she answered, saying it more as an observation than an actual question she expected to be answered.

There was no accusation or hurt in her voice, nor should there have been. They’d only know each other for a short time, and neither had made any promises to the other.

“Really?” She asked, and the dark-haired woman nodded.

Grace reached to her bedside table and pulled out her small notebook. Scribbling the words  _ “Danny/Dani/Daniel?” _ into it.

She let her head rest on her pillow again and her brows furrowed.

“I have no idea Alex” she said honestly, “And, I didn’t say anything else?”

The woman shook her head and kissed Grace quickly before she got out of bed and fumbled around for her clothes.

“I’ll see you later tonight?” Alex asked quickly as she finished getting dressed and Grace smiled warmly and nodded.

“I’ll meet you there around 7?” she replied, and Alex smiled, bending down to kiss her again.

“Perfect” she answered back and quickly dashed out.

Grace sighed and rolled onto her side. She flicked through her notepad and frowned. She’d been keeping it for the last four months, writing down anything that came to her, trying to see if anything triggered a memory of any sort. She read the last entry again and sighed. The only people with that name she knew of were the chef in the nearest shrimp shack about an hour away, and the Commander who was even further away at the Arizona Base.

She blew out a breath, doubting either of them were the Danny she’d been dreaming about. She tossed her notepad back onto the side table and closed her eyes, hoping for the hundredth time that tonight she’d dream of something useful, something she might remember.

***

Dani was loath to attend the special social gathering tonight, but the Committee heads in Texas as well as William and Evelyn had made it clear that her attendance was not optional.

They were spending two days in Laredo, before swinging past Huston to load up on supplies from the well-stocked distribution centre, then travelling onto the purpose built outpost just east of Dallas which would serve as their new home until the mission was over.

It was closing in on the end of February and the last of winter was in the air, so the Laredo leadership decided to host a community celebration as a way to both welcome the imminent arrival of spring, and to wish the Commander and her team luck on their new, and hopefully final, mission against Legion.

She sipped on her beer and made a mental note to add semi regular shipments of the relatively new beverage to their outpost. Beer was a luxury that the new world was just beginning to enjoy again thanks to a relaxation on a fraction of the wheat distribution, and the freeing up of personnel and warehouse space to create Prosperitas’ first brewery. She smiled as the cold beverage made its way down her throat. It was certainly gentler on her stomach than the tequila she’d become accustomed to recently, and definitely easier to make and store than the wine in their stockpiles. She felt the buzz it was giving her and decided that it would also be much kinder on her head in the morning than the Base made bourbon.

She stood by the podium after having given a speech minutes before and watched the festivities around her. She smiled at the noticeable lightening of the Settlement’s mood since the last time she’d been there, just after the war had ended. It may have only been a year, but it would seem that people embraced peace and new freedom very quickly.

She knew the war with Legion wasn’t quite over yet, but she had confidence that this last mission would see them victorious. And it seemed as though everyone in the Settlement shared that same confidence. Music ebbed back and forth, bonfires lit up the skies, drinks flowed freely, and the smell of charcoal and woodfire wafted in the air, carrying scents of all the variations of food being prepared around them.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Evelyn wrapped an arm around Dani’s waist and bumped her hip playfully.

Dani smiled, and turned to her friend.

“Hmmm. I was just thinking about how much everyone deserves this.” She raised her beer and pointed the nose of the bottle out to the crowd of people gathering at tables around them. “To be relatively carefree. To feel protected and safe. To be able to celebrate like this. It’s long overdue Eve.” She mused.

Evelyn nodded and looked at Dani, holding her gaze for a moment before speaking.

“You know they’re here for you right?” She stated and Dani scoffed.

“Hardly. They’re here for the food and the alcohol, and to have fun.” She smiled but ducked her head, knowing that Evelyn wasn’t finished yet.

“Oh, no, no no.” The tall engineer said in an almost sing-song voice, “they are only able to celebrate like this because of everything you’ve done up until now Dani.” She raised an eyebrow and waited for Dani to acknowledge her.

“Well. Everything we have all done then.” Dani countered.

“Touché.” Evelyn smiled and clinked the neck of her bottle against Dani’s.

The two stood in companionable silence for a moment before Dani’s stomach made itself known and Evelyn laughed.

“Come. I told William I’d bring him back at least three hamburgers.” She rolled her eyes playfully. “We should get a couple while we can.”

Dani smiled in return and they let their noses guide them towards the closest grill. 

They were just about to join a line for food when Dani heard a laugh from behind her and gasped. She stopped in her tracks and her heart leapt in her chest. Her eyes went wide, and she looked directly at Evelyn first to see if she’d imagined it, but Evelyn was looking over her shoulder with a look of equal surprise on her face.

It was Grace’s laugh. Dani would have known it anywhere.

She spun around in stunned silence and caught sight of Grace walking past them from the direction of the barbecue. She was laughing and joking with the woman in her arms as they playfully kissed and made their way back toward the tables with food in their hands. 

Grace’s blonde hair was just brushing the top of her shoulders now, partly pulled back but still unruly as some of it stubbornly escaped the hair tie. She was wearing jeans and a loose long-sleeved shirt. She looked different, softer in many ways, but she was still just as beautiful as Dani remembered.

Dani was so stunned at seeing Grace that she failed to move out of the couples’ way as they got closer to where she stood, and eventually backed up into her.

Grace started and broke her kiss and turned around. “Commander!” Grace smiled in surprise. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you.” She looked at Evelyn and her smile brightened. “Evelyn, nice to see you!” she quickly leant in and hugged the doctor warmly.

Dani quickly stepped out of the way and tried to get her mouth to function. Grace smiled again and touched Dani lightly on the shoulder. “It was nice to bump into you.” She laughed, and Dani couldn’t help but smile back up at her. She would never stop loving Graces laugh

“Anyway.” Grace said a little awkwardly and took a step away. “Enjoy your evening ladies. And good luck with the new mission Commander.” She said and began to walk off. Dani watched Grace retreat, the tall brunette wrapping her arm around Graces waist in a way that implied some form of ownership.

Grace suddenly stopped and turned around, and Dani held her breath again.

“Evelyn, if you’re here for a few days, we should have dinner?” She asked and Evelyn nodded eagerly. Grace smiled brightly in return and continued toward the tables. 

Dani watched them retreat for a moment before leaning over and putting her hands on her legs, her first reaction had been one of pure elation, and her second was one of fierce jealousy. And what she was feeling now couldn’t be described as a single feeling, she was absolutely shaken. As though somebody has picked her up by her ankles and tossed her through the air at a thousand miles an hour. 

Evelyn watched Dani watch Grace and placed a comforting hand on her back as Dani slowly breathed through her emotions and eventually righted herself.

“I thought she was supposed to be in Ohio?” She asked Evelyn without looking at her.

“She was” Evelyn answered quickly. “But she moved to Texas almost immediately, about three months ago”

She watched Grace take a seat next to the brunette and something about the way she moved made Dani take pause and pay closer attention.

Grace braced herself before sitting down, her hand shook almost imperceptibly as she raised the bottle of beer to her mouth, and there was a definite weariness behind her eyes despite the fact that she was obviously enjoying herself. She rolled her shoulders back and adjusted her position twice before settling, as though discomfort was a common annoyance, but one she didn’t pay much attention to. When she laughed, she wrapped an arm loosely around her torso, unconsciously bracing her ribcage. Her loose-fitting blouse initially hid it, but Dani could see now that Grace’s body mass had reduced over the months since she’d last seen her. Her cheekbones, a little more pronounced, her jeans a little looser.

She sighed sadly. To Dani’s familiar eyes, Grace looked unwell.

“She’s in pain Eve.” She said in quiet surprise.

“ _ Oui _ .” Evenly answered softly and Dani looked up at her in question.

“She never became fully proficient at dampening her pain response via her microprocessor, and I couldn’t figure out a way to force it without hurting her”

Dani closed her eyes and nodded. Of course, she wouldn’t have learnt to temper her pain properly. This Grace had no memory of going through the brutal training necessary for Augments to learn to manage injuries and dampen associated pain. Dani remembered that training session, the one they’d fought terribly about. It had left Grace bleeding and unconscious on the arena floor with several broken ribs, a puncture through her left shoulder, and several deep shrapnel injuries, but each injury taught her what her limits were and how to control her neural response to them. It also left her two days in the Augment Chamber and had almost ended their friendship. Dani sighed.

She watched Grace pull out a small bottle of pills from her pocket and dump two in her hand before chugging them down with the beer she was drinking.

“She’s medicating?”

“She has to.” Evelyn answered quickly. “She’s living with chronic pain now, so we supply her with the medication she needs.” She looked down at her friend and felt her heart break all over again.

“Why wasn’t I told?” Dani asked, still watching Grace.

“You explicitly told us not to Dani.” Evelyn answered. “But William, Stephanie and I have been keeping tabs on her.”

Dani nodded. “Okay. So, I’m asking now.”

Evelyn nodded and took a breath. Knowing that what she was going to share would be hard for her friend to hear.

“Before she was discharged, she managed to get her pain dampening response up to around 70%, so she isn’t feeling the worst of her old injuries, but she’s still feeling enough to warrant high dose, long-term, narcotics. We have her on a long acting transdermal patch which, with her metabolism, lasts a couple days at most, and she takes a fast acting oral dose for break-through pain.” She paused watching the tall blonde down a shot and open another beer, she was handed a smoke from her girlfriend and took a long drag, holding the drug in her lungs for a moment before letting it go, letting both the women observing her know that it was a joint.

“And apparently she’s also using marijuana and alcohol too,” Evelyn sighed sadly. 

“Jesus” Dani whispered and sat down heavily. “What is she doing? Where is she working?” she asked after a brief pause.

“She has a bit of a transient life here. She lives mostly between Laredo and the Dallas outpost working double shifts in the solar farms across the state doing repairs and maintenance. She works two weeks on and then she takes two weeks off and goes away”

“Goes away? To where?” Dani asked quickly with a frown on her face.

“We don’t always know Dani” Evelyn looked down at her friend and smiled “She has a boat down at Galveston that she takes off on sometimes. Sometimes she borrows a truck and packs some camping gear and we don’t see her until she’s back a week or two later. We don’t routinely monitor non-operational Augments, so I’m not sure where she goes”

“And it doesn’t worry you? That she just disappears for a couple weeks every month?”

Evelyn shrugged “Not really Dani. She’s a grown woman, and she knows that she’s supposed to keep within the safe zones.” Evelyn smiled slightly, knowing Grace’s penchant for ignoring rules. She saw the concern on Dani’s face and tried to reframe the news.

“Dani, you have to remember that she’s still adapting to some major changes, not just to her physical body and her psyche, but also to her new life. Four months ago she woke up thinking she was a high school science teacher only to learn she was an Augment soldier, and now she has to find her new place given the body and the skills she has, but it doesn’t stop her innate personality from trying to let itself be known. If I was her, I’d be a little unsettled too” Evelyn paused and glanced at her friend, “the only difference is that I’d know why.”

Dani nodded and looked at the floor. Grace was a born protector. An incredible soldier and a natural leader. She was whip-smart, extremely adaptable and almost always brimming over with curiosity and enthusiasm for anything around her. She had always had a restless energy about her but being a medic and a soldier, she’d been able to feed that energy well enough to keep her sated. Dani imagined that this Grace still carried that same restlessness, but without her memories, she would perhaps still be trying to figure out her true place among this new world.

“So, she’s working in the solar fields?” Dani queried again. Thinking it an odd choice for the woman she knew.

“She’s still trying to figure out what she wants to do long term. But for now, the solar fields keep her busy. It’s hard work, but it’s flexible and lets her have her own time when she wants it. Also, she wanted to be able to use the strength and endurance provided by her augments to help the Settlement. And despite the issues she has with pain, she still manages to churn out about 30% more work than anybody else on her crew” Evelyn said proudly.

Dani smiled.  _ ‘still competitive’ _

“She mostly flies under the radar here, which as an Augment can be pretty difficult. But she’s well liked and well respected here Dani. She’s a hard worker, and her contributions are noticed, but she’s reserved and generally keeps to herself. She’s dating,” Evelyn noticed Dani’s eyes dart to the woman with Grace and fill with sadness, “but she isn’t seeing anybody with any regularity or frequency,” she quickly added and looked over at the table where Grace was.

“She might look settled and very much a part of the community here Dani, but I can assure you that she’s still seeking. She’s still the curious, introspective, deep thinker we both know.” Evelyn smiled and Dani smiled too, wiping away at the tears that burned behind her eyes.

Dani pulled at the sapphire around her neck and struggled with the emotions running though her.

“And the woman?” She felt slightly ashamed by the tone of jealousy her voice carried, but she couldn’t rid herself of it.

Evelyn smiled a knowing smile.

“Alex. She’s a nurse at the hospital here. She and Grace met two months ago.”

Dani clenched her jaw and nodded.

Evelyn turned to face her friend.

“Dani, you know I love you and think the world of you. But you know as well as I do that a woman like Grace was never going to be without a lover for very long.” Evelyn smiled as her French sensibilities came to the fore. “But I have a sense that Grace and Alex are simply two woman enjoying each-others company for the time being.”

“Grace told you this?” Dani asked in surprise.

Evelyn tilted her head back and laughed.

“No Dani. Of course not. But I can tell,” she winked at her friend and Dani couldn’t help but laugh in turn.

Grace heard laughter and looked up, caching a glimpse of Evelyn and the Commander standing where she’d left them not long ago, still deep in conversation. She observed their obvious closeness, and oddly found herself wondering if the two women were lovers, or if they had been.

She thought back to her teenage years not long after Judgement Day. She had admired and been infatuated with Dani since being rescued by her, and seeing her now, almost twenty years later made her realise that those feelings she’d developed all those years ago were definitely still strong, and definitely not a teenage crush anymore.

The Commander was beautiful, and she contrasted with Evelyn in a way that made Grace bite her lip and pay keen attention to them. Dani was breathtaking, dark, powerful, and fierce, and Evelyn was lighter in both appearance and mood, accomplished, driven, and just as gorgeous.

Grace’s mouth became suddenly dry thinking about them as lovers, and she took a swig of the cool beer. As she downed it, she saw a flash of Dani and Evelyn together in bed, Dani straddling the tall doctor, a look of rapture on her beautiful face. She had to pause and force her throat to swallow as her stomach curled powerfully with arousal.  _ ‘What the fuck? Was that a memory?’  _ she wondered or just her very vivid imagination. 

She took another long swig of her beer and an absent-minded drag of the smoke, feeling it pull at her, when she suddenly had a very clear recall of a much more recent memory. The day she woke up in the hospital four months ago and Dani was there, right at her bedside. She had forgotten because she’d been heavily medicated, and she hadn’t seen the Commander since, but now she recalled how the Commander asked her if she knew her. How there had been a hint of reservation and fear around the question.

She pulled on her drink again and wondered if perhaps the Dani she had apparently dreamt about last night was  _ this _ Dani, the Commander. She half laughed, half sighed at the absurdity of it.  _ ‘Just another unanswered question’  _ she thought, and made a note to herself to ask Evelyn about a Dani/Danny she may have known in her past.

Alex squeezed her thigh and Grace came back to her surroundings, smiling into her dark brown eyes. She leaned in for a kiss which deepened and lasted for long moments, leaving them both breathless.

“Come back to mine?” Alex whispered and kissed Grace’s neck.

Grace nodded quickly, her desire ratcheting up as the combination of the alcohol and the weed made her desire feel a little out of body.

Alex smiled widely and finished her drink before pulling her tall lover up from the table. She felt a strong arm wrap around her as they made their way through the crowd toward her quarters.

***

Dani watched the interaction and her chest hurt. She bowed her head and let out a breath, thinking about the last four months and how empty and lonely they’d been for her, how she had made her way through each day emotionally void, without her anchor.

Actually, emotionally void wasn’t correct. She’d let anger and resentment and grief fill her up and drive her almost every waking moment. She’d mobilised the taskforce in record time, and they were now on the brink of the next assault, hopefully the last ever, against Legion. And as the end of all the planning and preparation drew nearer, as Hadrell and his Spec-Ops team began to take over the reins, she found herself once again feeling untethered and lacking purpose.

She watched Grace leave with the beautiful woman in her arms, she saw the familiar flush of arousal in Grace’s cheeks and neck and felt a stab of jealousy and regret so strong it took her breath away.

She leant forward again, not wanting to watch Grace in the arms of the other woman, but not being able to think of anything else, and knowing that it was her own actions that had created this very scenario made the bile rise in the back of her throat.

She waited until Grace and her new lover had disappeared from sight before speaking. 

“I made the wrong decision,” Dani said more than asked. She spoke it quietly without looking up at her friend.

“Oui” Evelyn answered immediately “It wasn’t your decision to make Dani.”

The words stung and Dani nodded sadly and placed her hand over Evelyn’s thigh. “I’m sorry I was so hard on you.”

Evelyn hugged her close “It’s okay Dani” she kissed her cheek “Believe me, if it had been William, I’d have probably lost my mind. So, I understand.”

They spent a minute in silence and they thought about the journey they’d all taken over the last few months. Eventually Dani spoke, almost inaudibly.

“She has a life here.” Dani said softly.

“ _ Merde!” _ Evelyn stood up excitedly “It’s barely been four months Dani! It’s not too late to tell her the truth! Let her decide which life she wants for herself. She’s earned that at the very least!” 

Evelyn felt her familiar anger rise and tried to even her breath, knowing that Dani had her reasons for doing what she’d done, and that no matter what, that couldn’t be taken back. Her friend finally seemed to be coming around to the truth now, and despite the awful timing, Evelyn knew that was all that mattered. 

Dani put her head in her hands as her body started to react to the emotions inside her. All it took was one accidental interaction, one time seeing Grace with another woman, and she was a complete wreck. She breathed through the rise of emotions trying to take hold, and Evelyn placed a comforting hand on her back for a minute until it passed as she’d done quite often these last several months.

Dani felt sick at the thought of finally telling Grace. Afraid of disrupting what life she had managed to build for herself here on the Settlement, and terrified of what she’d do or say, or worse, what she’d think of her once she found out the truth. 

But at the same time, Dani was still very much afraid of everything she’d been afraid of before, of Grace being in constant danger if she was with her, of actually truly losing her forever one day.

“I can’t just come in and disrupt her life here Eve. And I can't keep putting her in harm's way. Or worse, actually asking her to put herself in harm's way” She said.

“You need to give her the choice Dani.” Evelyn replied. 

Dani nodded and sighed heavily, looking back up and catching a glimpse of Grace’s retreating back and feeling her heart fill with trepidation and just a little bit of hope.

They stood in silence for a little longer before Evelyn spoke.

“Dani, if you want to give her that choice, you’re going to have to make first contact with her.”

Dani nodded quietly “I know. But not now. After the mission is complete.”

Evelyn pursed her lips but didn’t say anything. This was the furthest Dani had come to admitting her mistake, and Evelyn wasn’t going to push it now.

“Let’s get that food shall we?” She suggested and moved closer to the barbecue line with a smile. 

****

Grace had been driving for close to three hours. She had finished the repair and installation of the new panels she’d been commissioned to do at the Dallas outpost a day early, so she decided to head back to Huston, to the industrial stockpile and distribution centre, ahead of schedule rather than hang back at the outpost for an extra day.

She was looking forward to the next two weeks off and had planned on taking her boat out to explore more of the old abandoned coastal towns between Galveston and Pensacola. She’d been taking small trips every couple of weeks trying to lose herself in her explorations. She didn’t really have a goal except to learn more about what the world had looked like before Legion. She realised that her teenage memories only informed her to a point, and that she had no memory of travelling outside of Seattle as an adult.

There just seemed so much more to explore, and with the strength and endurance her implants provided her, the gruelling trips across unsealed roads, stormy seas, and dangerous terrain were relatively easy for her. The trips also allowed her as much time in her head as she needed. She found that her life had taken on a surreal kind of normalcy, one that she was struggling to settle into. She knew how to move and act in the world around her, but she had yet to feel truly at ease. Since leaving Arizona, she rarely used her RD to monitor those around her, but she still had a constant inner dialogue running in her head and the only time it seemed to quieten was when she was alone on her trips. When she didn’t have other people's words and actions to monitor, nor her contribution or response to those words or actions to analyse. 

When she was alone in her head, out in the open, she felt the most herself, even though she still didn’t really know who that was. And as much as she enjoyed her time with Alex or any of the other women she spent time with, and as much as she enjoyed her contribution to the solar program, she didn’t feel any real pull toward Laredo. If she didn’t have a desire to help and interact in some way, she could honestly see herself being content to traipse the continent alone with just oatmeal, a backpack and a set of wheels. She grinned at the thought and blew out a somewhat frustrated breath. 

She was drawn from her musings as she neared a rise and noticed an old van parked along the side of the road. An old man standing along-side of it trying to wave her down. She stepped off the gas and smiled to herself. Pulling over, happy for the unexpected distraction on what had been a very boring transit. She jumped out of the truck and nodded at the man, looking past him at the beat-up old van he was driving.

“Need a lift?”

The man squinted and his lip quirked. To Grace, it looked like he was trying to smile, but it wasn’t sitting naturally on his weathered face. Something about him made her uneasy and his next words confirmed her instincts.

“No.” He deadpanned back, his voice heavily accented “I need those solar panels in the back of the truck.” He said matter-of-factly. “Give them to me”

Grace swallowed and her mouth turned dry from the sudden rush of adrenaline. She stood back and sized him up in a few quick seconds. He was about the same height as her, much broader and heavily muscled, but his creased face and grey hair and beard told her that he was at least several decades older than her, and certainly not an augmented ex-soldier. She smirked to herself. As much as she didn’t want trouble, a part of her was also itching to bleed off some of her frustration, and far be it for her to discourage an old man looking to do a stupid thing.

She crossed her arms and nodded, a dangerous smile playing on her face.

“I can’t do that,” she replied evenly.

“Yes, you can.” He answered back and stepped toward the truck.

She closed the distance quickly and grasped his arm, stopping him from undoing the strap.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” She said in a dangerously low voice.

He pulled his hand away with surprising speed and shot it back out, pushing her back a step.

In response to the blow, her augments surged to life and her irises flashed an iridescent blue. She clenched her teeth as her temper flared, and she swung at the old man’s jaw, connecting with a bone crushing blow. Pain flashed through her hand and up her arm, taking her breath away. At first, she didn’t understand why the man was still standing. She looked at his chin where she’d struck him and saw the torn skin, then she saw the shiny metal underneath. Her eyes widened as she looked at her own fist and saw that the blow had also exposed the dermal mesh under three of her knuckles.

She cursed and immediately brought up her usually dormant RD. She cursed again, this time audibly as her augments showed her what she’d failed to see at first. His body was made up of an array of metal, actuators, wires, and chips. There was nothing organic about him except for the skin covering his body.

So taken aback was she that she barely reacted when he grabbed her shoulders and tossed her hard against the passenger side of the truck, winding her as she crumpled to the ground.

“Stay.” He ordered and began to undo the straps holding the solar panels down.

Grace felt new pain begin to radiate through her body and she grit her teeth against it. She pulled herself back to her feet, keeping one hand on the truck to steady herself.

“What the fuck are you?” She panted and tried to command her shaky legs to keep her upright.

“Cyberdyne systems model 101” he turned his head toward her “But my friends call me Jacob”

“You’re a ……” She didn’t quite know how to finish the sentence. He wasn’t a Rev, that was clear, but he also wasn’t an Augment.

“Terminator” he finished for her “Yes. But I’m not what you think”

Grace internally acknowledged the absurdity of having a conversation with a terminator on the side of a road, in the middle of nowhere.

“I don’t care what you are. I can’t let you take those” She breathed and pushed herself toward him.

“I don’t want to hurt you” He said evenly, and Grace could tell he was sizing her up.

“Believe me,” she said quickly, “nor do I.”

The terminator almost smiled. He nodded almost imperceptibly, and Grace all but growled as she launched herself at him. She thought that with her augments activated properly she’d be able to take him, perhaps incapacitate him long enough to call for the army to come deal with him.

For a moment she let herself believe that some of her Augment soldier training might come back to her instinctively, that perhaps some long dormant ability would miraculously resurface at just the right moment to help her.

But as her body neared his, she realised her mistake. He deftly sidestepped her only to follow through with a choke hold that put her on her knees. At that moment she realised the idiocy of her situation. She should have just called for help instead of engaging him.

_ ‘stupid!’ _

“I said that I didn’t want to hurt you.” The man said flatly.

Grace felt his muscular arm tighten around her neck and she tried to use her strength to fight him off. She scratched at his arm and felt some of his organic skin come away under her fingers. Her stomach turned, but she kept clawing at him.

“Stop.” He ordered, but when she didn’t, he squeezed his arm a little more.

Grace’s ears began to ring and her mouth opened but she couldn’t drag air into her lungs anymore. She felt her body stop responding to her orders and the last thing she remembered before she passed out was the sound of a young girl’s voice.

“Jacob! Let her go right now!  _ Suetala! _ ”

Then her world went black and her body sagged heavily against his.

***

_ ‘Fuck’ _

She felt the ground beneath her and the breeze blowing around her and tried to figure out what had happened. As memories came rushing back she gasped and found her feet right away, readying herself for a fight.

But the road around her was quiet. The van and the old man were gone. She looked at her truck and swore. The three remaining solar panels had been taken. But she was alive, and her truck was still here. And she couldn’t quite figure out how that had happened.

She’d heard of the existence of separatist militias across the border and in parts of Arkansas and Mississippi, but there hadn’t been reports of any local groups causing trouble. 

“Fuck!” She spat out loud and ran her fingers through her hair angrily.

She moved toward the cab of the truck and as she did her boot struck something on the ground. She bent down and picked up the items she’d almost tripped over. A canteen and an orange.

She turned the canteen over, and saw that the word ‘sorry’ had been etched into the paint on the metal surface.

“What the fuck?” She muttered to herself.

Then she remembered the voice of the girl she couldn’t see, and the terminator named Jacob who was much more powerful than she was, and she wanted nothing more than to get off the road as soon as possible. She reached for the handle of the door and her hand started to shake. Her RD flashed before her vision and she sighed audibly.

_ ‘Stage 3 crash imminent, meds required’ _

“Oh, for fucks sake!” she growled angrily. She reached around to the back of her jeans and unclipped the small punch from her belt. Taking out the rarely used med-gun, she tried to remember the instructions she’d been given. She loaded the cartridge and depressed the trigger against her denim covered thigh and waited a minute for the message flashing before her eyes to cease.

When it did, she jumped into the cab of the truck and started the engine, sparing a moment to be grateful that the old man … machine … whatever … hadn’t taken the vehicle and left her out in the open with no way out.

She pulled the radio from its cradle and pressed the push-to-talk-switch.

“Laredo, this is SC20, come in” she waited a moment before there was a crackle on the other end of the line.

“SC20, this is Laredo, how can we help? Over”

She took a breath and depressed the button again.

“Laredo, I’m requesting a military presence at my location, on the old i45, about 40 clicks north of Houston. Over”

There was a crackling silence before the man came back on the line.

“Can you tell us what happened SC20? Over”

Grace sighed but tried to speak calmly and clearly.

“I was ambushed on i45 by a terminator who stole the contents of my truck. Over”

This time she rolled her eyes because she heard how absurd it sounded. And again, there was an almost deafening silence before another voice, this time female, came on the line.

“SC20. Repeat your last. Over”

Grace pursed her lips and depressed the switch again

“Laredo, I’m requesting military assistance. I’ve made contact with a terminator. Over”

***


End file.
